Determination
by Innoverse
Summary: Natalie Hartford never loses. For her, failure isn't an option. So when her little brother is kidnapped by the forces of Gaea, there's nothing she won't do to get him back. Armed with her wits, an annoying son of Hermes, a daughter of Zephyrus, and a son of Hecate who can't seem to get his spells right, Natalie embarks on a quest to save her only family. ON HIATUS.
1. I: Wrenches and Bullets

**Hi, Innoverse here! This is a re-do of the story 'Eat Bitter, Taste Sweet.'**

**I'm taking a shot at a multi-chapter story, since I came up with a pretty good idea to center this around. It's not going to be all Mary-Sueish (yes, the main character has a fatal flaw, and is not perfect at everything) and it's not going to be sappy romance. There will be some romance later on, but it's not going to be overflowing with it. Just little things. **

**I've also edited this and took out the swearing—I decided against having that in my story so it would appeal to more people (the worst you should hear is 'crap'). But I'm still keeping it T for mildly suggestive references, but nothing too bad, I promise. It's probably going to be angsty at parts, as well.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO.**

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_**- CHAPTER I: WRENCHES AND BULLETS -**_

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"Come on, Kenny, just in here."

I quickly ushered my five year-old little brother down into the empty wooden cabinet, trying to ignore the rough slam of car doors outside and my oblivious Uncle Mark, snoring loudly on the dirty couch. He climbed in soundlessly—even though he was young, he could understand the severity of the situation. I pulled myself in after him, pulling Kenny onto my lap in order to fit in the cramped space. I closed the wooden door quietly, clutching my little brother close as I heard the front door bust open, and the _pop_ of a warning shot being fired into the ceiling. He flinched, winding his hands into my clothing and sobbing silently into my chest. I kissed the top of his forehead.

I heard my uncle scramble off the couch—no doubt running to get whatever kind of firearm he might have stashed around. But another shot was fired upwards, and my uncle's footsteps stopped. I could hear the breathing and snickering of several men—all sounding giddy, like they were about to pull a prank rather than commit murder.

One of them cleared their throat. "You really think you could hold out on us that long, Mark? Like we couldn't find you?" He spoke with a heavy Southern accent.

I heard my uncle stumble. "I—I don't owe you anything!"

"Suuure," the man who'd been talking before said sarcastically. He must've been the leader. "You didn't bet ten grand last month. You didn't say you'd have it in a week. You also didn't bet that _fine_ niece of yours."

My blood boiled in my veins. That idiot had bet _me_ at one of his stupid poker games? If he lived through this, I was going to beat him bloody.

"Come on out, Natalie!" another taunted. "We won't hurt ya'!" _I'd sooner die_, I thought to myself.

"Unless you count being sore in the morning!" There was a bunch of ugly laughing. I shivered against my little brother, wondering how everything could've gotten _this_ bad. It'd all started going downhill when my mother came back for the second time—a Greek goddess. She'd left for eleven years, and then decides to come back because of _pity_? She'd had my little brother, and then _poof_! Surprise! She's gone again, just like I told Dad she would. But he didn't believe me, so he took it harder the next time. She didn't even tell him which goddess she even _was_.

So then he'd committed suicide from the sadness of being left twice. I'd found him, gun in his hand, blood splattered on the wall. That image will never get out of my head. He left me—only twelve when he'd done it—with a one year-old brother I didn't know how to take care of, and an uncle who didn't ever do anything for anyone but himself. So now, four years later, we're stuck in a wooden cabinet while some gamblers murder my uncle. Quite a fall from glory.

"Take her!" my uncle shouted. I rolled my eyes. "I don't care! Just don't kill me!"

"And the ten grand," said another deep voice—the fourth man.

"All my money's right there," my uncle gave up, probably pointing to the safe he had hidden behind a picture frame. "Take all of it! The combination is 4,5,1,9!"

_What a coward_, I thought. I heard two sets of footsteps walk over to the frame, and rip the painting off the wall. There was some shuffling around, and then I heard the lock click open. A grunt of approval, and then the shuffle of paper as they counted out the money. We waited in the cabinet for what seemed like forever, Kenny shaking against me as I stroked his hair.

"At least twelve grand," the deep voice announced. "Now, where's the girl?"

I tensed. "I don't know," my uncle said. "I haven't seen her in a while."

There was another shot into the ceiling. "Well then, let's find her."

I heard footsteps around the house as they turned over things and threw others around, looking for me. Silently, I rolled over so that my brother was against the bottom of the cabinet, pinning him under me protectively. I wasn't going to let anything happen to him—no matter what happened to me. He stayed perfectly still under me, tears still leaking down his cheeks. I gently wiped them away with my thumb, and he burrowed his face into the crook of my neck.

"Come out, come out..." the leader—the one with the gun—taunted. I heard another gunshot, somewhere close by. Kenny jumped under me. I held him tighter as I heard the footsteps enter the kitchen, where we were hiding. I sucked in a sharp breath as he fired into one of top cabinets, and then into the one next to it. _Crap_.

"Come on, Natalie," he said like he was a negotiating business man as he fired into the cabinet next to us. "We could have so much _fun_ together."

I pressed Kenny as tightly as I could to the floor, hoping to every Greek god I could think of that he would fire high enough not to kill him. I heard him empty the clip and click in another, then I closed my eyes as I heard him squeeze the trigger. I bit my lip hard as I felt the bullet graze my left bicep, and the blood started dripping down my arm. Kenny looked up at me with wide eyes. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against his, and thanked the divine forces that the wound wasn't too serious, and that it wasn't my dominant arm.

As he walked around the house, calling my name, I tried to think of a plan to get out of here, and run away like I should have months ago. I glanced around the cabinet, looking for anything I could use as a weapon—an old board, a pipe, _anything_. Finally, lying in the shadows in a corner, I spotted an old, rusty wrench. I hefted it like a club and swore to myself it would be a last resort—and that I'd try to sneak Kenny away instead of going out and just clubbing them all.

If I could get us out of here, I had stashed stuff in a secret place a few blocks away, and then we'd be gone. I would be done with this place, and I could finally take care of my brother. I wasn't going to let anything happen to him at all.

"Kenny," I whispered almost soundlessly. "Listen to me." He nodded a little, telling me he was listening. "We're going to leave the cabinet. When you get to the screen door, you are going to open it and run and never stop or look back, okay?" He nodded again. "Run to the secret place I showed you earlier this month. Wait for me. If I don't come by tomorrow morning, go to the police station... a—and tell them you're alone. Promise me."

His eyes widened, and he seemed to understand what the meant. He opened his mouth to protest, but I shook my head firmly. "Promise me," I repeated.

A tear slipped out of his eye. "Promise," he whispered.

I nodded. I gently wrapped my arm around his back, and pulled us both into a sitting position. I heard footsteps in the back, which meant they were probably searching my room. I gently opened the cabinet a crack, and peered out to find an empty kitchen—a clear path to the screen door. I took a deep breath and pushed out, pulling Kenny with me. We silently tip-toed over to the door, until I heard close footsteps coming back out. I dashed over and ripped the door open, all but shoving Kenny out of it. He started sprinting down the road—he'd always been a fast runner—and I was about to follow him, when I felt a hand grip my arm.

Instinctively, I swung the wrench up, anticipating the man's height to about 5'7, average. It connected with the side of his skull and he stumbled, but his hand only gripped my arm tighter. He scowled at me and raised the pistol to my temple. My blood trickled from my arm and onto his hand.

"Well, well," he said in his southern drawl. "Someone's feisty."

I swallowed hard. Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at the road. Kenny was no where in sight. He was safe. At least I'd gotten one thing right.

"Take me anywhere, and I'll kill you in your sleep," I snarled, watching as my uncle and the other three men came out from the back. I glared at my uncle, wondering how he could do something like this to someone he was supposed to protect.

"Good thing I like feisty," he whispered into my ear, ruffling my choppy, blonde hair.

"Good thing I don't like you," I spat back. I strained against his grip, trying to raise the wrench, but he spun the chamber on his gun to a new bullet.

"I can pull the trigger faster than you can blink, sweetie," he said. I tried to remember how many gunshots he'd fired. He'd only had one spare clip—each clip held six bullets. Three in the ceiling, four in the cabinets, I heard two in the bathroom, three more in my room... Oh, thank the heaven's! He was out of bullets. He _had_ to be. That's why he'd grabbed me instead of shooting me.

"Good for you," I hissed. I swung the wrench, and he pulled the trigger, but as expected, all that came out was a puff of air. The wrench cracked the side of his head—much harder then before—and he let go of me, stumbling backwards and clutching at the bloodied wound. I bolted out of the door, running down the pavement as fast my legs would carry me. I could hear the roughness of my breath and the pounding of my feet.

"Run, Natalie!" the man slurred behind me. "Run, you little punk!"

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**I thought that was a good ending spot.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading it! Reviews are appreciated. :)**


	2. II: Golden Girls

**Hi, Innoverse here! Here's chapter two! Starts out a little slow, but picks up in the end.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO.**

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_**- CHAPTER II: GOLDEN GIRLS -**_

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Heart racing, feet flying, I ran across the empty streets, away from the abandoned apartment complex I'd been living in for the past four years of my life. Some poetic air-head who sits in a chair drinking tea all day might've said that I was running towards my 'future,' but in reality, whose future is an old, run down warehouse? I was just running to get away, to find my little brother, and to _get the heck out of there_.

I probably looked like a madman as I dashed through the streets—I'm sure if I came across anyone, they would call police on me for sure. Tangled, choppy, spiked blonde hair that was standing up at crazy angles from running, torn and bloody white tank top, ripped jeans, dirty track shoes, a wild look in my honey-brown eyes, and the _coup de grâce_—a bloody wrench. I must've resembled a serial killer.

I turned a corner and saw the warehouse looming in the distance. It was old and gray, a little lopsided like it might collapse at any moment, but it was good enough to stash something in. I darted into the open door—which had been rusted off several years ago—and looked around, trying to find Kenny. He had to be around somewhere, since I'd specifically showed him this place earlier. He even proved to me he knew how to find it by coming to get me one day.

I looked down and noticed small footprints on the threshold of the door, and followed them to the back of the warehouse where I'd stashed our backpacks in an empty storage crate. I heard shuffling around inside, and walked around the front to find him sitting inside, digging through one of the backpacks. I sighed with relief, and sat down beside him. He set the backpack down and looked up at me.

He still looked scared, even if some of it faded when he saw my face. There were tear tracks on his face, and his cheeks and nose were smudged with dirt. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he was still shaking a little. He had the same unruly light blonde hair that I did, and our mother's eyes like me as well. His smile was like our father's while I smiled like my mother, even if it was hard to find something to smile about lately.

Kenny pointed to the wrench that I'd placed at my feet when I sat down, obviously noticing the blood. "Did you kill them?"

I shook my head, trying to ignore that fact that a five year-old asked that question, and put my arm over his shoulders. "I just wounded one enough to get away."

"Okay," he said, yawning and leaning closer to me. "I wonder if Uncle Mark is okay."

"Doesn't matter," I said. "We're never gonna see him again anyways."

Kenny curled up in my lap, and I pulled an old blanket out of one of the backpacks and draped it over him. My adrenaline began to wear off, and now I was very aware of the burning on my left bicep and the blood trickling down it. I pulled out a bandage and carefully wrapped it around my arm, wishing that I had some of the special food that I'd heard about that heals half-bloods. Or, even some of the metal that kills mythical creatures. I'd spend time trying to find some of these things, but not knowing the name of them doesn't really help much. I just hoped I had enough strength to get away from monsters with nothing but a wrench.

As I watched my little brother asleep in my lap, I thought about how nice it wold be to just pass out beside him, and sleep through the night. But the logical half of my brain said that this was too close to the apartment, that the men would probably come looking for us, and that we needed to find somewhere else to rest for the night. I heaved an unhappy sigh, and gently picked up my sleeping younger brother. I slung our backpacks over my shoulder, and carried him out of the warehouse, pausing at the door and looking around cautiously.

Once I saw the streets were empty, I dashed out of the warehouse and began to walk down the block, staying away from the streetlights and trying to stay in the shadows. I was tempted to take out my flashlight so that I could see in the dark, but that would probably attract monsters. And I really didn't need that at the moment.

I just kept up a brisk pace, keeping my eyes out for somewhere that might be a suitable place to sleep for the night—somewhere I could defend easily, where it would be hard to spot us. I thought about sleeping somewhere up high, but aren't their plenty of monsters that can fly? Surely I couldn't be _that_ unlucky. Not only would it keep the monsters away, but it would also keep rats and bugs away, as well as being drier.

I decided that the benefits outweighed the risk, and started looking for somewhere off the ground to sleep. Unfortunately, the options were limited unless I wanted to sleep in a tree—as the only trees around weren't god for climbing _or_ sleeping. I kept walking until I ducked into an alley and finally came across an old fire escape attached to another empty apartment building. I sighed with relief, and began to climb up the rickety ladder until I reached a small platform—just big enough to stretch out on.

I set Kenny down, still asleep in the blanket, and flopped down on the metal beside him, pulling the blanket over myself as well. I held the wrench tight, using the backpacks like a pillow, and clutched my little brother to my chest. I closed my eyes, and soon the world around me faded to black, despite the uncomfortable circumstances.

I dreamed of the last good day with my father.

A week before my mother came back again, he'd brought me to a squash***** court at one of our local country clubs on one of his rare days off where he could actually spend time with me. He was lawyer and a very stubborn, determined, competitive person—he'd do anything to win his cases. And he didn't lose. Winning was something that he took as an everyday occurrence, something that he expected. He worked hard to make sure that he could win, and that things were always in his favor. I think that's eventually what got to him—that he couldn't win my mother over.

But I'd inherited a good part of his traits, so a game of squash was practically life-or-death—figuratively speaking. And it didn't help that both of us were pretty good at it. As we swatted the rubber ball around, people gathered around the glass door to watch us in awe since the matches got pretty heated. We were both laughing and teasing each other—one of the few times when he wasn't putting on his business face and we could have fun. I liked it when my dad let his guard down, but he didn't do it often.

I hit the ball hard, sending it over his head. He jumped up, sending it bouncing back towards the wall. "That all you got, Nat?" he mocked.

I swatted it away from my knees. "Not even close!"

"Yeah right!" he huffed as he hit the ball hard, sending it flying at me faster than I could blink. I swung hard and whipped it near the floor, sending it way over his head. He tried to jump for it, but even though he was almost six-foot, he still missed.

"Yes!" I shouted, pumping my fist in the air. My father was smiling and shaking his head, drinking water as he swung his racquet over his shoulder.

"Lucky shot," he said, tossing the water bottle to me.

"No way," I said, taking a swig. "That was _all_ talent right there, old man."

He scoffed. "Old man? Look who's talking, _little girl._"

"Little?" I said.

"That's right," he said. "You'll always be my little girl."

I snorted. "News flash, Dad. I'm eleven."

He ruffled my hair. "Doesn't mean you can't be little."

"Uh, yes it does. I'm already up to your shoulders, and you're giant!"

"If I can look down at you, then you're little," he said.

"But I'll never be taller than you," I complained.

"Exactly," he said. "Now, this old man wants a rematch, little girl. Unless you're... you know, not up for it."

I hefted my racquet. "Of course I'm up for it! Bring it on, Grandpa!"

"You'll regret that!" he teased as he served the ball.

I was disturbed from my peaceful dream by a loud crash, stirring both my brother and I from sleep. I sat up quickly, tightening my grip on the wrench I was clutching in my hand. The sun was still down, casting shadows over everything. It must've been around two o' clock, and the streets were still completely barren. The alley looked empty, but I knew that looks could be deceiving. Something could be hiding in the shadows, just waiting to crawl out and have Kenny and me for breakfast.

"What was that?" Kenny whispered, clutching my pants leg.

"I don't know," I muttered. "Just stay here, okay? Don't move. Stay under the blanket."

He nodded and hid under it, staying perfectly still. I grabbed the wrench and started creeping down the ladder quietly, scanning every inch of the alley. The shadows all seemed to ripple in the darkness, making everything much creepier then it should have been. I felt my pulse quicken as I heard a metallic sound, like metal grinding on metal. I twisted my head towards the noise, almost swearing I could've saw a the glint of metal in the low light.

There was another metallic ping, and then complete silence. All of sudden, a song started to erupt from the pile of old metal trash cans, echoing around the alley and pounding inside my head. The wretch clattered out of my hand and I dropped to my knees, covering my ears with my hands. I heard Kenny shout my name, and scramble down the ladder with our backpacks. But all I could do was sit and watch as three figures emerged from the wreckage.

They were three women with long, flowing hair and golden dresses, holding lyres and guitars. They were beautiful—at least until you looked down and saw that they had the feet and grease-caked wings of a vulture, or that their eyes were completely black pits, or that their teeth were sharpened to a point. The strangest thing about them? They were made completely of solid gold.

Suddenly, as I watched them and they continued to belt out their beautifully horrible song, their faces changed. One became the face of my father, the other the face of my little brother, and the last the face of my mother. They were all challenging me—taunting me almost—to fix the things I'd never been able to. My father was asking me why I'd let him lose the battle to depression. My mother was asking me why I'd let her leave again. My little brother was asking me why I hadn't been able to take care of him properly.

I wanted to walk to them, to fix all the wrong, but suddenly I felt Kenny's hands clamp onto my shoulder and shake me hard, and I remembered that they were just nasty looking vulture creatures, and were luring me to my death. I shook my head to clear it, and grabbed the wrench and our backpacks again, staring at the golden vulture-ladies in front of me.

"Why isn't the song working!?" one of the woman complained. They stopped singing, and studied me with curiosity as I gripped my brother's hand.

"What the heck _are_ you?" I shouted.

The woman in the middle snarled. "We are the Keledones! The Golden Charmers!"

A Greek myth surfaced in my mind. "I thought you were the attendants of Apollo! Y-you sung for him in his temple in Delphi, Greece. You were made by Hephaestus. You're supposed to be friendly!"

"Apollo! Bah!" the other one hissed. "What did Apollo ever do for us? Made us sing until our throats were dry, and then only fed us the nectar of the gods!"

"We need blood!" one chorused.

"We took a hint from our Siren cousins," the middle one continued. "Luring people to their death was easier than singing for _Apollo_." She spat the god's name like a curse.

"Demigods! Much better eating!" one holding what looked like a tambourine said.

Suddenly, their instruments weren't exactly instruments anymore. The tambourine melted into a metal-plated shield, and she pulled a six-foot golden spear off her back. The one with the lyre threw the instrument into the air, and when it came back down, it was a metal bow with a golden string, and the instrument bag on her bag melted into a quiver of golden arrows. The last one's guitar narrowed and elongated until she was holding a two-handed sword. Against that, my wrench definitely didn't seem like much.

"Now come here, young one! You will be our first meal of the day!" the one with the sword hissed.

So, I did the only logical thing. I grabbed my brother, turned, and ran.

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***Squash is a game played with racquets and a rubber ball inside in a small room, you bounce the ball off the wall to your partner, trying to get them to miss it. (I think this is accurate)**

**Cliffhanger! Aren't I just evil? How will they ever get away? You'll never know! Well... at least until I release chapter three.**

**I hope your enjoyed it! Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated. :)**


	3. III: Creepy Green Light

**Hi, Innoverse here with chapter three! Yay!**

**I'm glad I re-posted this, because it seems to be getting more attention with the new summary/title. I'll admit, the old summary sucked. The title, too, maybe. But I'm glad people are reading this one. :) I appreciated the reviews, too!**

**And now, we conclude the fight with our first monsters. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO.**

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_**- CHAPTER III: CREEPY GREEN LIGHT -**_

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I was running. _Again_.

This was really starting to feel familiar.

The dark alleys were a blur as I tore through them, throwing down trash cans, boxes, or whatever else I could get my hands on behind me. Even so, I could still hear the clang of metal as the golden women clomped on behind me, and a golden arrow whizzed past my head every once in a while. I could hear their footsteps getting a little closer. But I kept running, still holding onto my little brother, my brain screaming; _What now?!_

I'm still working on that...

"Nothing like a good chase to make you hungry!" a Keledone shouted from behind me. There was a bunch of ugly laughing following behind, and I briefly wondered how Apollo would ever want these women in his temple. Or why Hephaestus would ever make a metal woman who likes to drink blood. Did the gods _want_ to kill their children?

An arrow whizzed past my foot, snagging a shoelace and causing me to stumble a little bit. I slurred a curse before remembering that I was carrying my five year-old brother, but quickly amended it with a 'Don't you ever say that' and tried to pick up the pace some. Unfortunately, these ladies had probably gotten their eight hours a night, and they didn't have any trouble keeping up with me. I had a feeling that they were messing with me, like how a cat plays with a mouse before it kills it. The thought wasn't exactly reassuring.

I turned a sharp corner—nearly spraining my ankle in the process—and I thought I could see a light up ahead. I squinted as I dodged a fallen trash can, and saw that, in fact, there was a sort of greenish-colored light coming from one of the side alleys up ahead. I know, I know, _You're already running from a monster! Why run __**towards**__ the creepy green light? _But I was desperate. There was no way I could take these things out myself. If there was light, there were probably mortals nearby. Even with the Mist, they could probably manage to get in the Keledones way, and I could disappear. It felt cowardly, just running away like that, but I didn't have a choice. My brother's safety was worth more than my pride.

I approached the green light, and darted around the corner. What I saw was a little stranger than mortals with paper lanterns.

There were three teenagers about my age, sitting in the alley. They looked stooped, tired and dirty—like me—with backpacks and various band-aids and butterfly bandages. There were two boys and a girl, both boys with sword scabbards hanging from their hips, and the girl had a wooden bow stretched across her knees and a quiver of bronze arrows sitting next to her.

Demigods. Boy, that was kind of a relief.

But there was also something strange—the source of the green light. They were all sitting in a circle that had been drawn on the dirty asphalt. But it wasn't just a regular old drawn chalk circle. It was made out of five strange, green-glowing symbols that were connected by lines that were also glowing green. It kind of reminded me of the pentagrams witches used to summon spirits—except the fact that it was a circle instead of a star and there were no candles.

I must've had a pretty strange look on my face. "The heck?"

They all looked just as surprised as I did, but then again you didn't see random teenagers carrying a wrench in one hand and a toddler in the other all too often either, even if this _was_ New York.

"There you are, little demigod!" one of the Keledones snarled from behind me. I whipped around, instinctively swinging the wrench and hitting another one in the face. A gash opened up on her forehead and started leaking golden blood. Ichor. The blood of monsters and immortals.

"You'll pay for that!" she yelped. I set Kenny down—who wisely ran to hide inside of an empty trash can—and hit her over the head again. The other three kids stood up hastily, drawing their swords and readying arrows. It felt kind of nice to have back-up—even if I didn't know any of the three teenagers—since I'd been fending off monsters for years on my own. Even though Kenny was really young, two half-bloods attracted quite a few baddies.

The most heavily armed one holding the spear and shield rushed at me, apparently seeing me as the biggest threat even though there were three kids with proper weapons behind me (Monsters are always such idiots). The other two ran at the boys with swords, while the girl swung herself up on a pile of boxes and started firing arrows at the Keledones.

I threw myself at the golden woman, swinging the wrench along with my body weight, hoping to crush her under her own shield. She collided with a wall, and her arm crumpled a little, but since she was made of metal, it didn't seem to faze her. She thrust her shield at and tossed me backwards, but I dug my heels into the ground and managed not to crack my head on a wall. I'd skidded right through the little circle thing, and the images didn't even smudge. Strange...

She charged at me and ran through the circle, but as she entered the boundary, she slowed a little and struggled, but eventually broke through and tried to skewer me with her spear. I jumped out of the way, and followed up by swinging my wrench into the back of her head. The girl watched her run through the circle and cursed.

"Your protection spell didn't work!" she shouted at one of the boys, who was fighting off the one with the metal bow. The Keledone had started swinging it like a club, and it looked like it was leaving some nasty bruises.

"Of course not!" he shouted back, ducking another swing.

I didn't have the time or the energy to try asking them what on Earth that meant, so instead I just focused back on the golden lady wielding a spear. Every time I swung my wrench, she just raised her shield to block it, and then tried to stab me again. I was already exhausted from lack of sleep and running—not to mention that I was probably still loosing blood from the bullet wound—so the odds weren't good for me if she still had both weapons.

She thrust her spear at me again, and this time when I dodged, my hand shot out and caught the shaft of it. We wrestled for the spear, while I beat on her wrist with the wrench trying to get her to release it, or at least break her hand beyond repair. She slammed her shield into my side, and my left arm went numb, but the momentum worked in my favor. I managed to rip the spear out of her hand—but the force of the pull bent it to an odd angle. She also lost her footing, and managed to fall over...

...right on top of me.

We hit the ground hard, her shield slamming into my gut with enough force to knock the air out of my lungs. The bent spear flew out of my hand and skittered across the ground. I recovered from my shock and managed to find the strength to heave her off of me and roll on top of her. I raised the wrench and hammered it down into her forehead while she tried to throw me off with her shield. I repeatedly hit her with the wrench until the gold plating cracked and I could see the gears and levers inside her head, but she kept right on going.

I was tired and worn out, and I couldn't keep this up for much longer. Finally, she managed a good shove, and threw me off her dented body. Somewhere in the background, I heard a short scream from one of the woman, and then the whooshing noise that only came when you killed a monster. The woman I was fighting scooped the bent spear up off the ground, and planted her foot hard in the center on my chest. She was twitching a little, and the wires in her head were sparking. But I was pretty sure that she still knew she wanted to kill me.

I heard a consecutive _thwack, thwack, thwack_ as the girl fired three arrows into the other Keledone, and the whoosh of it exploding into dust. I banged uselessly on the side of the last Keledone's leg with my wrench, struggling to breathe, but only making dents that didn't seem to bother her.

She held the spear over my forehead. "You were a tough breakfast, demigod," she said, but her voice was metallic, and she kept stuttering and sparking. "But I like a challenge."

Her body tensed to thrust the spear, and I suddenly found myself wondering if these teenagers would keep Kenny safe if she killed me. But she never got the chance. Just as she was about to impale me in the head, the tip of a sword burst through her chest. Her hands twitched, and she dropped the spear right before she burst into dust.

Standing over me was one of the boys—the one the girl had been yelling to about protection spells or something. I finally was able to get a good look at him. He had thick, unkempt brown hair, a few freckles across his nose, and bright blue eyes. He also had a small, thin, white scar just above his left eyebrow. He was about my height, with some suggestion of muscle tone—probably from wielding a sword and running from monsters. Most demigods tended to look like that.

He offered me a hand. I took it gratefully, and pushed myself up off the ground with my other elbow as he helped me stand. Even if the left side of my body was a little numb, I was still panting like a dog, and I was blinking spots out of my eyes, I managed to look him in the eye and say, "Thanks."

He blushed a little. "Uh... no problem."

Kenny popped out of the trashcan, and hurried over to me, wrapping his arms around my hips and leaning his head against my waist. I unconsciously ran my fingers through his hair.

The boy standing a little ways behind the blue-eyed one was a ginger—he had a curly mess of red hair the color of wet clay, a lot of freckles, and dark brown eyes. He was kind of tall and gangly, with pale skin and a lot of smile lines. The girl next to him was a little shorter than him, with wavy auburn hair, no freckles, and light gray eyes like fluffy cumulus clouds. In other words, the three of them couldn't have looked any different.

"Well," piped up the ginger boy, as he sheathed his sword and wiped some sweat off his brow. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

**Ah ha ha! Because I'm so evil, you'll have to learn their names in the next chapter. They might or might not be the trio mentioned in the summary... you never know, right?**

**Wow, fight scenes take forever to write. I was sure that was going to be longer to read...**

**Thank's for reading! Since you've made it this far, why don't you tell me how I'm doing? If I don't get feedback, I can't improve the story. But I do appreciated each and every little review. :)**


	4. IV: Introductions

**Hey, there! Innoverse here. This is chapter four... but it's kind of a filler chapter. Sorry! I was a little uninspired today, and I wanted to work on some other things. Besides, I didn't really know where to go with this.**

**So, now, meet the rest of the main characters. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO.**

* * *

_**- CHAPTER IV: INTRODUCTIONS -**_

* * *

I looked around at the three teenagers tiredly. "Please, tell me you're demigods."

The girl chuckled. "You bet. How else did you think we could take a monster attack in stride like that?"

"No idea," I admitted. "Sorry about leading them to you guys... I saw the light and..."

"It's cool," the ginger guy said. "If you were close enough to run to us, then they would've found us eventually. Better now then later, right? It's not like that gods-forsaken circle would've done anything..."

"Hey!" the blue-eyed boy protested. "You know I don't have any training..."

The ginger boy opened his mouth to say something else, but the girl pinched him and interrupted. "Well! We're glad we found you two. How long have you been on your own?"

I sighed and ruffled my hair out of my face. "We just ran away yesterday night. But I've been dealing with monsters for years... we lived with a deadbeat uncle who didn't really do much."

The girl nodded. "Well, you're both welcome to travel with us. No demigod left behind, right? Stick together to defeat the monsters."

"Yeah," I said gratefully, then held out my hand to the girl. "Natalie Hartford—but people call me Nat. I'm sixteen." She shook my hand. "And this little guy... this is my little brother Kenneth, but he goes by Kenny. He's five. I don't know which goddess is our mother, but..."

She smiled at us. "I'm Emma Hiltz. I'm fifteen and a daughter of Zephyrus—the West Wind and the god of springtime."

"Zephyrus? I didn't know he had demigod children," I said.

"Most demigods don't," she said. "It's kind of like being a daughter of Zeus and a daughter of Demeter at the same time—except less powerful."

"Enough about you," the ginger guy intercepted. Emma rolled her eyes as he stuck out a hand. "Aaron Kipner, son of the greatest god of all—Hermes. The messenger god—and the god of thieves, travelers, roads, merchants, and he even invented the internet, even though demigods can't use it. You're a traveler, so you're okay by me. And if you're a thief... well, even better."

I shook his hand. "Um... okay."

I looked at the blue-eyed boy, but he just blushed a little and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I'm... um, I'm Robert Miller. Son of Hecate, the magic goddess. Yeah. Magic."

Aaron snickered. "Smooth, man," he whispered just loud enough for me to hear.

Robert's ears turned pink, and he glared at him. "Will you shut up?"

"So," I said, anxious to shut them both up, "are you guys just kind of wandering around... or what?"

"Oh, no," Emma said. "We're making our way to Long Island."

"We heard some rumors about a demigod camp over there," Robert supplied. "You know, kind of like a summer camp but for children of the gods?"

"A summer camp..." I mused. "So, an actual bed, three square meals a day, and no monsters?"

Emma smiled. "Oh yes. But sadly... they're just rumors. And we don't know the exact location, either. Just that it's on the tip of the island... but that's it. I mean, it could be anywhere."

"So, basically," Aaron added, "we have to get from here—Manhattan—all the way up to, like, around Montauk."

"If you find some transportation—" I started.

"We're pretty much broke," Robert said. "Aaron's been stealing a lot lately"—Aaron grinned at that—"and we're barely making any progress on foot."

"Well," I said, "good thing you met me, right?"

I slung my backpack off my shoulder, and dug into one of the side compartments. I pulled out a wad of money—five-hundred bucks that I'd stolen from my uncle's safe a few a weeks earlier. I was glad I was putting it to good use. "Five hundred dollars," I announced.

Aaron's eyes lit up. "Dude! Did you steal that?"

I rubbed the back of my neck uncomfortably. "Well... if you count my uncle as 'stealing.'"

Emma smiled. "I guess Tyche is in our favor, my friends."

Robert grinned. "I suppose so."

"Well..." I muttered, rubbing my eyes, "I'd like to have a little visit with Hypnos..."

"Yeah," Robert commented. "You look asleep on your feet."

I chuckled a little, since he had the same purple bags under his eyes as me. "So do you, my friend." He gave a small smile.

Aaron yawned hugely. Emma rolled her eyes at him."Sleep is vital. I suggest we _all_ see Hypnos," she said.

"That would be nice," I murmured. Kenny nodded into my waist.

"Who's taking first watch?" Aaron asked. "I vote R—"

"I'll do it," Emma interjected. "I'm not nearly as tired as the rest of you."

I didn't protest. I just sat against the walls of one of the buildings next to Robert, and pulled the blanket out of my backpack. Kenny snuggled against my side, and fell asleep on my shoulder. Even if I was sitting in an unprotected alley with people I'd met only twenty minutes ago, I couldn't help but finally feel kind of safe for once. It was nice not to feel completely alone.

Finally, leaning against the cold wall with my little brother in my arms, my eyes fluttered shut and I fell asleep.

* * *

**Gah! That was really short! Not even 1k words... Sorry, but I hope the introduction of three new characters is enough to make up for that. *sheepish grin***

**But yes, that is the rest of the gang! I'm going to have so much fun with Robert and Emma... two types of demigods that have either hardly been explored or not at all. I do believe that Zephyrus does have demigod children because Boreas does (Remember Cal from TLH? Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!) and they thought Leo might've been a son of Notus (the south wind) so I figure that they all probably have demigod kids. I thought Zephyrus would compliment Emma's light attitude well.**

**But, lastly, how does everyone like the new cover? I spent an hour or so last night drawing/coloring it with my tablet and I think it looks pretty good. Yeah, it's how I picture Natalie. So, what do you think?**

**Anyways, I hope you liked that (incredibly short) chapter, and reviews are appreciated. :)**


	5. V: Sore Feet and White Vans

**Hi, Innoverse here! Here's chapter five. It's around 1.8k words, so it's pretty good sized—at least, I hope. I'm trying to get the story on track some, I mean, I don't want it to be twenty chapters before the story even starts really happening. I don't want to bore everyone.**

**Also, I did realize that I left out Robert and Aaron's ages in the last chapter. Oops! This chapter addresses that, though. All of their backgrounds will be revealed through the course of the story, though.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO.**

* * *

_**- CHAPTER V: SORE FEET AND WHITE VANS -**_

* * *

I woke up on the hard pavement, Kenny tucked under my arm, and a thin blanket spread over my shoulders. I was on my side and using my backpack for a pillow, nearly killing my back and left arm in the process. I gently unwrapped myself from my little brother and sat up stiffly, squinting in the daylight. I was in an unfamiliar alley, with three teenagers I didn't know... what the heck was going on?

I looked down at the bandage on my left bicep, and last night's events started trickling into my brain. The Keledones... running into the teenagers, the daughter of Zephyrus, and... that really weird green circle I hadn't had the energy to ask about last night. Something about protection spells?

Emma and Aaron were still asleep, wrapped up under one of the blankets. I supposed they were probably a couple, even if they hadn't really shown it last night. In the middle—with his back turned to me—was Robert, kneeling next to the strange circle. He was wiping the symbols with what looked like a dirty rag, and writing different ones with his finger. The green light appeared wherever his finger had touched, almost like writing on one of the tablets in the stores. It was kind of interesting to watch, but I had no idea what he was doing.

A son of Hecate? Maybe he was using magic to make protection spells... but since he said he hadn't been trained, they didn't work. I gave a mental shrug. Only one way to find out.

"Um... what are you doing?"

He jumped, startled, even though my voice had hardly been a whisper as not to wake my brother and the other two. He turned around and looked at me, glancing down at the circle. He sighed softly, and sat against the opposite wall—still ending up close enough that he'd only have to whisper. The buildings weren't even far enough apart to lay down between.

"Trying to fix my protection magic," he muttered. "The lines are supposed to serve as a barrier to monsters, but—as you saw last night—it only slows them down as of now."

"That could still be useful," I pointed out. "It would give you time to attack them before they could get to you."

"Yeah," he said. "But it doesn't exactly help you sleep at night. We figured if I could ever find out how to perfect it, then we wouldn't need to have watches anymore."

"But then you'd wake up with a bunch of monsters outside the barrier," I said. "Wouldn't that be kind of disturbing?"

"It would be a lot less disturbing than having to worry about being eaten in the middle of the night," he replied.

"Point..."

We sat in silence for a little bit, and his eyes drifted down to my bandage. He looked a little awkward, like he was curious, but he didn't want to ask for the sake of being polite. He seemed kind of shy to me, but then again, I'd only talked to the guy for a grand total of maybe ten minutes.

"Gun-shot wound," I informed him. "A bullet grazed my arm."

He blinked. "Someone was shooting at you?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah... it was a mortal, and I didn't have a weapon."

"Um... okay," he mumbled, and I swear I could have heard him add under his breath, '_and people get shot at all the time..._' I just rubbed the bandage and looked back down at Kenny, brushing his hair out of his face. He wrinkled his nose in his sleep, and curled up tighter. I pulled the blanket up over his shoulders, unable to stop the small smile that slipped over my lips.

"Is he your only family?" Robert asked, watching me. I briefly thought of Uncle Mark, and how I'd left him with the gamblers, but I decided he deserved it. I might not have had the bullet wound if he hadn't decided to _bet_ me in a game of poker.

I eventually decided on, "Yeah." I looked up at him, meeting his eyes. They seemed to be a bit brighter blue in the sunlight. "How long have you guys been traveling?"

He scratched his head. "Well, I've been with them a few weeks, but as for Aaron and Emma... I have no clue. Could be years for all I know."

I chewed my lip. "How old are you?"

"Same age as you," he said. "Sixteen. So is Aaron, but sometimes I swear he's two... I honestly don't see how Emma puts up with him."

"So they're a couple?" I asked.

He nodded. "I'm pretty much the third wheel. The 'Magic Boy.'"

"Magic Boy, huh?" I said. "How does all that stuff work, anyways?"

His eyes glinted a little. "I dunno. It's _magic_."

I chuckled. "That's a terrible pun."

"Maybe it was," he said. "But you laughed anyways."

Before we could elaborate any further on that, Aaron woke from his slumber, and Emma and Kenny followed soon after. After we'd finished packing up our things, we all started talking about our strategy to find the demigod camp since we now had cash.

"I say we just board a bus to Montauk and wing it from there," Aaron suggested.

"No," Emma and I said at the same time. "That would leave a lot to question, Aaron," I added. "These are rumors. Therefor, they might not be true. So, we've got to find some evidence the camp actually exists before just blowing all of our money."

Emma nodded. "That's right."

"But... how are we supposed to find a camp in the mortal world that should be _hidden_ from mortals?" Robert asked.

"Well, for starters, we're not mortals," I said. "Secondly, we need to look for something strange."

"This is New York," Aaron complained. "_Everything_ is strange!"

"But not the demigod level of strange," I said, grinning. "Trust me, if this camp exists, then they would have to make a way for us to _find_ it. Otherwise, what would be the purpose?"

"Yeah," Emma agreed. "There's probably clues around for demigods who are smart enough to find them."

"So Aaron's not going to be much help," Robert said.

Aaron glared at him. "So we're just wandering around, looking for strange things."

"Pretty much," I said. "Come on! We're probably not going to find much in an abandoned alley..."

* * *

Wandering around New York with virtual strangers turned out to be a lot worse than you might have expected. Mostly because one of those virtual strangers happened to be Aaron.

We'd been walking all day, trying to find signs of anything remotely demigod related. The only thing we'd found had been a hellhound, and unfortunately that wasn't much help to any of us. Emma was now walking with a slight limp, Robert was slumped over, exhausted, and I'd had to start carrying Kenny a long time ago because he'd gotten tired. Not to mention that Aaron didn't shut up the entire walk. He wouldn't stop complaining about the heat, his sore feet, his heavy backpack, his sore feet, his sword scabbard rubbing his hip, and _did I mention his sore feet_?

"Can we take a break?" he asked for the fiftieth time. "My feet—"

"Are sore," Robert interrupted. "Yeah, we get it."

"For a sixteen year-old," I muttered, "you sure do complain a lot."

"I do not!" he said. "Right, Emma?"

He looked at her hopefully. She sighed and rubbed her face. "I love you, Aaron, but you do complain a lot. It's not one of your finer points."

He folded his arms and grumbled, "Some girlfriend..."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Nat, I don't think your plan is working."

"It is!" I protested. "We just haven't stumbled across the right thing yet..."

"At this pace," Robert added, "we're going to be crawling, not stumbling."

"And here I thought you were on my side," I said, glancing at him. "Some stranger," I huffed, imitating Aaron. Robert and Emma cracked a smile, while Aaron just folded his arms and pouted. Kenny frowned at him over my shoulder.

"Even the five year-old disapproves of your whining," I said.

"It's stupid," Kenny agreed.

Robert snorted. "I like this kid. But... seriously, Nat. Emma has a point. This isn't getting us anywhere."

I sighed. "Well, do you have a better plan?"

He blushed. "Um... no? I was hoping you had... like, a plan B?"

"I'm not made of plans, Robert," I said.

"Really?" Aaron said sarcastically. "I thought you had your entire life planned out."

I laughed bitterly. "Riiiiight. I planned all of this _years_ in advance. You're all part of my elaborate schemes to achieve greatness."

Emma rubbed her shoulders. "I think I'm going to take a page from Aaron and recommend we take a break. My shoulders are killing me."

I nodded. "My arms are sore."

"Sorry," Kenny murmured. I ruffled his hair, and the five of us collapsed on a bench near the sidewalk. Just your average day—four ratty teenagers and toddler sitting on a bench overlooking an intersection.

"So, Nat," Aaron said casually, stretching his feet, "got any more _brilliant_ plans?"

"Oh, haha, Aaron. That's so funny I—"

"Sissy!" My sarcastic remark was cut off by my brother, tugging my sleeve and pointing out into the intersection.

I frowned, following his finger and not seeing anything. "What is it, Kenny?"

"The van," he said, waggling his finger. I looked where he was pointing, and spotted a white van. It was idling in the intersection, waiting for the light to turn green. It was just an ordinary white van with a company name on the side, so I didn't see why Kenny was interested in it—at least, until I looked at the driver.

"Oh dear gods!" I said, jumping a little. The man driving was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed husky surfer dude, except instead of having two blue eyes... he had them all over his body. Everyone else stared at the van as well.

"I think that qualifies as strange," Aaron pointed out dumbly.

"You think?" I muttered. I craned my neck, trying to get a look at the company name on the side. I was finally able to make out what looked like a strawberry, and then the words 'DELPHI STRAWBERRY SERVICE' as the van pulled away.

"Delphi Strawberry Service..." I muttered to myself as the van pulled away. Then, I slapped my hand to my forehead. Delphi Strawberry Service. _Delphi_. The Oracle of _Delphi_. _Delphi_, Greece. "That's the cover-up for the camp!"

Emma glanced at me. "Are you sure?"

"It has to be!" I said. "I mean... what other kind of company would have a guy with a hundred eyes driving a van with the name 'Delphi' on the side?"

Robert nodded. "She's probably right. Good eye, Kenny."

Kenny beamed, and gave Robert a high-five.

"So," Emma started, "we find the address of Delphi Strawberry Service, and we find the camp?"

"Yup," I said. "They should be in the same place."

"So," Aaron said, "anyone have a phone book?"

* * *

**Aaron will become a better character in later chapters—I promise. He's just kind of irritating now because she's just met him. Canon characters will also appear later, too. It's not just OC's...**

**Also, just a notice; I made a tumblr for fanfiction! Since I can't post everyday because of school, I'll be updating the blog to let everyone know that I am, in fact, alive and working on things. I'll have other stuff on there too, like, what's going on with me, story spotlights, posts about stuff Rick has on his blog, Q & A, story snippets, etc. It'll be a whole lot of fangirling, and just plain awesomeness. So, if you like my stories, and you like tumblr, then feel free to follow it. My username is sallyjacksoning, and the blog is titled 'finding my way home.' ****There's a direct link to the blog on my profile page on here.**

**Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. Reviews are appreciated! :)**


	6. VI: Robert Torches the Book

**Hello, it's Rachel! You're all probably wondering why I took down chapter six and reposted it... because I'm completely and udderly mad and wanted to add something to the end. So, if you've already read chapter six, skip down to the last linebreak before the bottom author's note. **

**Don't forget to follow me; sallyjacksoning on tumblr. The link is on my profile, if you'd like.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO.**

* * *

_**- CHAPTER VI: ROBERT TORCHES THE BOOK -**_

* * *

The sun was setting by the time the five of us finally found a phone booth that some idiot hadn't stolen the book from. Who the heck wants to steal a phone book, anyways? I leaned against the brick wall of the coffee shop next to the phone, watching as Aaron leafed through the phone book, looking for the address. We'd volunteered to give it to him, since his dyslexia wasn't quite as bad as the rest of us.

"Delphi Strawberry Service, right?" he asked. I nodded, rubbing my eyes. Everyone else was practically asleep standing up. We were all ready to drop, but we needed to find this place. So, we just all stood and watched Aaron's finger run down the page, his eyes flying back and forth, looking over the pages. Suddenly, his face lit up.

"Did you find it?" Robert asked.

"No," Aaron said, "but there is a Dell store not far from here—"

"Aaron," Emma scolded.

Aaron blushed and shook his head a little. "Sorry. ADHD." He started reading the pages again, a frown wrinkle appearing on his forehead. His eyes stopped on the page, and he grunted in confusion.

"Uh... guys?" he said. "There's, like, a blank spot where it should be."

"A what?" I asked, peering over his shoulder. Sure enough, right below a store called 'Delphen's Sweets,' there was a blank space just the size for the business. Below it, it continued on through the D's. What the heck? If they wanted us to find it, how could they go around blocking out the address?

Robert sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Aaron, give it here. I think I know what to do..."

Aaron handed the book to him. "And what would that be?"

"Well, they don't want mortals finding it, right?" he said, looking at the page. "So... what blinds mortals specifically?"

"The Mist," I said. "You think they've got it altered with the Mist?"

He nodded. "Now if I just..." He pressed his right thumb over the blank space, muttered something in Ancient Greek under his breath, and all of a sudden his eyes clouded over bright green. I let out a little squeak of surprise—since I wasn't exactly expecting him to _glow green_. Had his eyes been doing that before? I couldn't remember, since his back had been to me.

Robert's eyes flicked to me for a fraction of a second before he mumbled something else, and—of course—the page began to smoke. He cursed, and waved the book around, trying to put out the little green flames on it while Emma and Aaron hovered around, beating it with their jackets. Kenny covered his nose with his hand, and coughed.

Finally, Emma threw the book on the ground and stomped it out. I looked at Robert, his eyes now their normal blue. "I'm guessing that wasn't supposed to happen?"

His ears turned pink. "Um... not exactly."

Emma picked the book up off the dirty sidewalk. The page was charred, all except for the one little space where the address burned in green, Ancient Greek lettering. "Well, at least it worked."

Aaron swatted at a green flame on his trousers, and grumbled, "The amazing Robert, specializing at blowing things up and setting other things on fire."

Robert grimaced a little, rosy-red coloring spreading over his cheeks. "It's harder than it looks..."

Emma ripped the page out of the phone book. "Not much use to the mortals now, anyways..." She studied the address. "_Camp Half-Blood, Half-Blood Hill, Farm Road 3.141, Long Island, New York 11954_."

"Camp Half-Blood..." I mused. "That's probably where we're heading." It felt a little nice to have a definite goal, and friends to accomplish it with. I squeezed Kenny's hand, imagining finally having peace again for the first time in a long time. I just wanted my little brother to grow up happy, not starving with a gambling uncle. Thinking of Uncle Mark made me feel a little guilty, but it wasn't like he hadn't brought it on himself. Survival of the fittest, right? Clearly, he wasn't the fittest.

Emma folded the page and put it in her pocket. She breathed deeply, looking up at the sun. "So, what now?"

I noticed that everyone was now looking at me. I smirked a tiny bit. "Already decided that I'm your go-to for instant plans?"

"Well, they're a heck of a lot better than my boyfriend's," Emma said. Aaron huffed. "Besides, you seem to know what you're doing."

"Yeah, you're pretty smart," Robert kind-of blurted. He blushed. "I, uh, I bet you're a daughter of Athena."

"There's a pretty good possibility," Aaron said, mimicking stroking a beard. "Athena is the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy, and you seem pretty fluent with both. Tell me, do you like owls?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, guys. The sun is setting. Maybe we can find a ride before it gets dark and all the monsters get hungry."

"Speaking of hungry..." Aaron commented, patting his stomach. Emma shook her head slightly and put her arm over his shoulders, which looked a little awkward since she was shorter than he was. "Come on! We don't need to drop dead of starvation, either."

Emma sighed. "Dinner wouldn't kill us."

Right on cue, my stomach growled. I smiled a little. "I suppose not."

* * *

Ten minutes later, the five of us found ourselves in a booth in one of the diners scattered around New York, perusing menus. Just looking at the food names made me hungry, and we couldn't order fast enough. The waitress had looked skeptical—I guess she figured a bunch of probably homeless kids couldn't pay for a meal—but I'd promised her I had cash. So, soon, we were happily munching on various dinner items, and talking amongst ourselves.

It felt strangely comforting, having people to talk to. I'd never really had many friends, between being labeled strange because of all the demigod funk, and because I didn't have time, taking care of my little brother and all. I didn't remember the last time I'd smiled and laughed this much—Aaron was a complete idiot. Robert was a little quiet—he was sitting next to me—but I saw his eyes flicker over to my face every once in a while.

But even as we were talking, I had this strange feeling in my gut. It was kind of fluttery, like someone had trapped a moth in my stomach. It made me a little nervous, and I kept glancing around, expecting monsters to jump out of the corners any moment now. The moment seemed a little too good to be true...

I stood abruptly. "I'll be right back."

I moved past Robert and headed towards the ladies room, looking around for anything suspicious as I walked. The diner looked completely normal—just families sitting and having dinner, conversations, and even a gentleman complaining to the cook about his steak being overdone. But something made me feel uneasy, so I quickly rushed out of the room and into the bathroom.

The feeling seemed to relax a little, and I walked over to the sink. I looked in the mirror, frowning at my appearance. My face was smudged with dirt, twigs and leaves were tangled in my hair, and there was a small scrape on my cheek. I sighed and cleaned up quickly, using a paper towel to wipe the dirt off and throwing my hair up in a short, sloppy braid with little wisps of hair flying all over the place. I changed the bandage on my arm, and then looked at my face in the mirror.

Seeing my face always tended to make me homesick—homesick for my father. I'd gotten my light blonde hair from him, as well as my thin eyebrows and face shape. His eyes had been a dark green, though, and not the honey color Kenny's and mine were. He'd been a handsome man, and I guessed that might have been how he had attracted a goddess—twice.

I gritted my teeth, thinking of my mother. I wondered why she'd had to come back and do more damage then she already had. I loved Kenny more than anything else, but I didn't understand why she'd had to come and break my father like that again. He'd completely snapped, and left me alone. I wondered how he could've done that. He'd brought two children into the world, and then had abandoned us because of heartbreak. Kenny didn't even remember his father, and didn't know his mother. And the only image of my father I could keep in my head was when I'd found him in the bedroom... and the only one of my mother, when I'd caught her sneaking out the last night I'd saw her, and she'd just smiled at me and told me to go back to bed.

I blinked the tears out of the corners of my eyes, and tore my eyes away from my face. Why was all this running through my head now?

I looked back down at the sink to wash my hands again before I left, and almost tripped over myself in surprise. Hanging from the faucet was a small golden necklace that _definitely_ hadn't been there before. I picked it up, the metal sliding over my fingers like silk. It had a thin, bronze chain, with a little charm at the bottom. It was a tiny set of shiny, bronze laurels, with a small, amber-colored jewel in the middle—a garnet*****, my birthstone for January. At the top of a necklace, a little paper tag was fastened. I pulled it off and it read;

_I'm so sorry, Natalie._

The paper fluttered out of my hand. I clutched the necklace to my heart and looked around the empty bathroom, half hopeful, half scared. "Dad?" I whispered.

There was no reply. The necklace trembled in my hand. How had it gotten there? Who was it from? Why had they apologized? Questions whirred through my head at a million miles an hour, and the fluttery feeling in my gut returned, almost twice as strong. My pulse started racing, and I studied the necklace. The stone felt smooth against my palm, the metal freezing cold. I gently ran my finger over the garnet.

I let out a yelp as the chain of the necklace molded together, and it became heavier and thicker in my hand, turning into the shaft of a spear. The laurels fused together and became a sharp, pointed spearhead, with the garnet sunk into the shaft at the bottom, the word 'καθορισμός' engraved above it.

_Kathorismós._ Determination.

I was so stunned I dropped the spear on the floor.

I don't know how long I stared at it before I picked it up again, the weight seeming right for my hand. I moved it around a little, still staring at it, and wondering how the heck I was supposed to walk back through a diner with this thing in my hand. How had it gotten here? How did a necklace turn into a spear? How do I change it back?

My hand trembled a little bit, but I reached up and brushed my fingers over the stone again. The spear shrunk back into the necklace, resting daintily in my palm. I was shaking, and I felt strangely sick. I wanted nothing more than to get out of that bathroom.

I clutched the necklace in my fist and went back out, slipping back into my seat at the table the rest were sitting at. I felt so rattled I just sat there and stared out the window, looking right through all the people passing. The edges of the necklace dug into my palm. Had my father sent me help from the dead? Was that even possible? Was he trying to make up for his mistakes? Had he been listening to me? If it wasn't him, who did I have who needed to apologize to me?

Suddenly, someone waved a hand in front of my face. I blinked, trying to bring myself back to reality. Robert was sitting there with a concerned expression on his face, while Aaron continued to wave his hand in my face. Kenny was looking up at me as well.

"Hmm?" I asked, swatting Aaron's hand away.

Emma raised her eyebrows. "You okay, Nat? You've been really pale since you came out, and you haven't said a word."

I squeezed my hand tighter around the necklace. "Ah, oh. I'm okay. Really."

I most definitely was _not_ okay.

Robert frowned a little. "You sure?"

"Yeah," I said a little too quickly. I tried to smile reassuringly, but it didn't exactly come out like that. Luckily, I was saved from interrogation by the waitress, who was now walking over with the bill. I started to pull my money out to pay for it, but the waitress smiled and shook her head.

"Oh, there's no need for that. The lovely woman at the table next to you volunteered to put your meal on her tab," the waitress said, setting down the receipt. Just as she started walking away, I turned in time to see the woman walking out of the door. She had long, dark black hair, and I saw a flash of her eyes.

_Honey brown._

Before I even knew what I was doing, I was out of my seat and heading for the door. I swung it open and charged out into the street, looking around the crowded sidewalk. I tried to look for her hair, or even her eyes, just so I could... I could... I didn't even know what I wanted. I just wanted to see her, and to make her feel guilty for everything she'd left me with.

But the streets were only filled with strangers, people who were not the honey-eyed goddess that I had the displeasure of calling my mother. The other four rushed out of the diner, calling my name, and looking even more concerned. I clenched my fist around the necklace. It'd been her who had given it to me.

"I don't need your charity!" I shouted at the sky, earning a few strange looks from the passing pedestrians. I was shaking with emotion. Thunder rolled.

Emma gripped my shoulder. "Nat, what's wrong?"

"I..." The words stuck in my throat. The anger and hurt drained out, and my shoulders slumped forward. I rubbed my face with the heel of my hand, trying to figure out how to explain my sudden weirdness.

Robert was studying me with his sharp, blue eyes. "What happened?"

Emma tugged me into an alley, the two boys and my little brother following close behind. I slumped against a wall, still gripping the necklace until my knuckles turned white. They were all looking at me expectantly except Kenny, who was standing behind Emma's legs and absentmindedly sucking his thumb.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "That was probably very strange."

"What's going on?" Emma pressed. "You knew that woman?"

I scowled. "That was my mother."

"I'm guessing you didn't like her very much...?" Aaron reasoned.

"Not at all," I spat. "It's a complicated thing." I got up off the wall. "Sorry about that. We should probably get going."

I started walking, making it clear that the conversation was over. I didn't want to talk about her, because if I did, then I'd have to get into my father, and... no. I just took Kenny's hand, and the five of us walked in silence towards the nearest bus station. We bought five tickets to the nearest station in Montauk, and reasoned that we had enough money to take a cab the rest of the way.

We all settled into our seats on the bus, Emma and Aaron on one side of the aisle, and then Robert, Kenny, and I on the other. Kenny quickly fell asleep on my shoulder, and pretty soon Emma and Aaron were snoring. I just slumped back into my seat, watching the buildings pass outside the window in the dark. I tried to put my mother and father from my mind, but it was hard. I ended up missing my father more than I had in a long time. I'd gotten kind of used to not having him around, but now the feelings felt as fresh as ever.

"You alright?" Robert's soft voice said from my other side. I turned to look at him, resting my head on the seat. It was hard to make out his features in the dark, but occasionally a sliver of moonlight would flicker across his face. I wondered why he seemed to care so much.

"No," I admitted, looking down at my hands, where the necklace was still clutched.

"I figured," he sighed. There was a moment of silence. "What happened... before? I mean, before the waitress came over..."

I sighed and pushed a stray strand of hair out of my eyes. I held up the necklace, and let the chain dangle from my finger. "This... it just appeared. There was even a little note that said, '_I'm so sorry, Natalie._' It's a concealed weapon. It turns into a spear. It just... made me angry."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Angry? Why?"

"Because it kind of felt like a slap to the face, you know?" I said, letting Kathorismos drop back into my palm. "Sort of like, 'Hey, I haven't been there for years, here's a little gift to make it all better.'"

He chewed his bottom lip. "Gods never stick around, Nat. We can't really hate them for it."

"I'm not mad that she didn't stick around," I said bitterly. "I'm mad that she came back."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed. _Did I really want to tell him about this?_ "My father and I were happy. He'd gotten over her a long time before, and it didn't affect him anymore. But when she came back... he fell for her much harder than before." I ran my fingers through Kenny's hair as he slept. "Kenny was born, and my father was so happy, thinking that she had come back for him because she'd loved him enough not to stay away. And then she left again. He was completely torn apart."

Robert was still listening quietly, his eyes trained on my face.

"For around a year, he struggled really badly with depression. He was fired from his job from missing days, he hardly ate any more, and he didn't take care of me or my younger brother at all. Then, when I was twelve, I came home from school one day..."

I swallowed hard, and stopped. The words were stuck in my throat, and I couldn't make them come out. I didn't want to relive this, I didn't want the images of my father's body to be flashing through my mind. I didn't want to remember the way I'd been crying when I'd had to call the police, and the way Kenny had started crying too, not really knowing why. I didn't want to remember being put with Uncle Mark, and having to adapt to a life of independence.

Robert gently squeezed my shoulder. Somehow, I found the words. "H-he committed suicide. I found him with the gun, you know? So if my mother hadn't have come back... then maybe I-I'd still have a father."

He was silent for a long time. "Parents can be selfish, Natalie."

I glanced at him in dark. "I... I don't understand."

He closed his eyes and rested against the seat. I could hear the rumble of the buses engine, and feel the bumps as we went over the road. "Your father was selfish. He should've been able to control his feelings and focus on the things he did have—his children. But instead he chose to take the easy way out, and didn't care about what would happen to either or you. My father did the same thing."

"Your father's dead?" I asked, only realizing how tactless that was after it had already come out of my mouth.

"I don't know," he said. "I don't remember him at all. I don't even know his name."

I shifted a little in my seat. "How was he selfish?"

Robert breathed out slowly. "He abandoned me. When he found out that my mother was a goddess and what I was, he just kind of... bailed out. Left me on the doorstep of a church when I was only two weeks old. He didn't think about what I would have to go through as a demigod without a parent, or what would ever happen to me. He only thought about how it would change his life. Sometimes I wonder if he ever thinks of me, and wonders what happened. I wonder if he regrets it."

We were both silent for a while. Kenny nuzzled into my side in his sleep. "I guess we have more in common then we thought," I said quietly.

He nodded a little. "Next time, can we just see if we like the same kind of pizza?"

I chuckled. "I like sausage."

He smiled sleepily. "Me too."

I leaned back into my seat, and closed my eyes. It started to rain, the drops making a continuous beat on the windows. The bus was silent except for this and a few hushed whispers from other passengers, and it felt peaceful. I realized I kind of liked talking to Robert, and I felt like I could trust him even after knowing him for such little time.

"Hey, Nat?" he mumbled.

"Yeah?"

"Is this what it feels like to have a friend?"

I smiled softly. "Yeah, Robert. I guess it is."

"Well," he whispered, adjusting himself a little, "I kind of like it."

His breathing became even, and he slumped over a little in his seat, asleep. I sighed to myself and placed my cheek on the top of Kenny's head, my eyes drooping closed. I hadn't really realized how tired I was from walking all day until now.

"So do I," I murmured, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

By the time we got off the bus, it was about three in the morning. We stumbled into the nearly empty bus station, all of us still half-asleep and stiff from the lumpy seats. We all collapsed on a set of green plastic chairs near the bus entrances, stretching out and trying to get our bearings to go from there.

"Well," Emma said cheerfully, "welcome to Montauk!"

"We're that much closer to paradise..." Aaron sighed.

"It might be like a military camp," Robert pointed out.

"So?" Aaron said. "A bed is worth marching during the daytime."

Robert laughed. I smiled, and yawned. "So, what now?"

"You mean the incredible daughter of Athena doesn't have a plan?" Aaron said, feigning surprise. I rolled my eyes.

"You don't know if I'm a daughter of Athena or not," I said. "Besides, haven't we had this conversation before?"

He waved a hand. "Pssh, whatever. Let's just hop in a cab and find paradise already."

"I don't know that 'paradise' will let us in at three in the morning," Robert said, making air quotes with his fingers. "That would be kind of inconvenient, wouldn't it?"

"Well, demigods aren't the most convenient people, now are we?" I said. "But for once, I agree with Aaron. Let's get out of here."

So, there we were, twenty minutes later, arguing with a cab driver who must've hated his job if he was required to drive around at three o' clock in the morning. Aaron was arguing animatedly, waving his hands and the charred piece of paper that held the address to the Camp. The driver finally slammed his enormous cup off coffee down on the dashboard of the cab.

"I told you kids, there isn't such a place!"

"But we have the address _right here_," Aaron said, shoving the page into the man's face. Clearly, he'd forgotten that mortals can't read Ancient Greek.

"Is this some kind of joke?" the driver said, rocking back in his seat. "Because three A.M. is too early for me to call the cops on you punks."

"Call the _cops_?" Aaron yelled. "We're just trying to—"

Emma grabbed his arm and murmured, "Stop."

The driver scowled at us before rolling up his windows and speeding off into the night. Aaron flipped him the finger before turning back to us, looking positively enraged. I frowned at him and made sure to mention to Kenny that he should never do that to anyone.

"What was that guy's problem?" Aaron seethed. "How can a place just _not exist_?"

"The same way we couldn't see the address," I pointed out. "The Mist."

"But they have a cover company!" he yelped, attracting the attention of the few pedestrians wandering the streets.

"Shh!" Robert said, clamping a hand over his mouth. "Do you want someone to _actually_ call the police? We're just five underage children traveling around with no supervision whatsoever... not to mention the fact that I'm pretty sure the foster care system is _still_ looking for me."

Aaron shoved his hand away. "Fine."

Emma sighed and pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "So what if mortals don't know where it is? We've can find another way to get there! Like... like... walking!"

"We are _not_ walking there," Aaron mumbled.

"Well, how else are we supposed to get there?" Robert said. "None of us have a license—even if we are sixteen."

"Maybe I can be of assistance."

We all jumped, turning at once to see where the new voice had come from. There was a girl about eleven standing behind us, looking slightly interested, as if we amused her. Her hair was long and black, cascading over her shoulders with smaller strands braided on the sides. Her eyes were a coffee brown, but they had a cold, hard edge to them. Her skin was pale and contrasted greatly with her other features. She wore a simple white dress.

"Hello," she said. Her smile sent shivers up my spine. "You can call me Korianne."

* * *

***Garnet does, in fact, come in an amber color. I looked it up.**

**And now, I'm sure you can probably guess where the romance in this is going to come from, other than our pre-existing couple. I seriously like a shy guy and strong woman—such cute couples. What should we name their ship, guys? Vote in the reviews, if you'd like! Either 1) Natabert, 2) Robalie, or 3) Ronat. I'll tally up votes in the AN for the next chapter.**

**Also, Aaron/Emma's ship name is going to be Emron, just because I can. **

**I hope you enjoyed! Reviews are appreciated. I'll to try reply to you ASAP if you have questions. ****:)**


	7. VII: Random Little Girls

**Hi, Rachel here! ;) Here's chapter seven. Like I said before, this one is going to pick up the story a lot, more so towards the end. And I'm sorry about there being no chapter last weekend, but I didn't really have much inspiration. Sometimes I get writer block for specific stories...**

**Anyways, as for our couple names, I'm going to extend that vote until the next chapter. So, remember, if you leave a review, vote for either Natabert, Robalie, or Ronat. :)**

**Enjoy!**

**Also, I'd like to thank my beta-reader, SerendipityInSerendipity, for editing this chapter. He rocks. ;)**

**If you like my stories, follow me at sallyjacksoning on tumblr. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO.**

* * *

_**- CHAPTER VII: RANDOM LITTLE GIRLS -**_

* * *

My first reaction was to take a couple steps back. Random little girls appearing on street corners offering help? That was pretty much always a warning sign telling you to turn and run. And the way her eyes glittered... It was unnerving. She didn't seem like _just_ a little girl.

Aaron was the first to speak. "Um... how?"

Korianne smiled, "I know the location of the camp you seek. I'd be happy to help you under these... circumstances."

"You have a ride?" Emma asked.

"Of course I have transportation, Emma," Korianne said, and began to make her way down the street. We managed to achieve a rare occurrence—the four-way glance. Emma had never said her name. Maybe she had just heard us talking...?

Nervously, we followed her down the street, my grip on Kenny's hand exceptionally tight. If this girl turned out to be a monster... at least I had my new weapon. That was one thing my mother had been good for. Though I wished I'd never have to use it... it might come in handy. Even _I_ knew I was lying when I said I didn't need her charity. Besides, it was a lot lighter than the wrench that I'd discarded in a trash can on the way up to the bus stop.

Korianne weaved through the nearly empty streets effortlessly, not even stopping to read the street signs as she strutted across the pavement. The way she held herself looked a little ridiculous for an eleven year-old girl—she kept her nose in the air and her shoulders thrown back as if she was the most important being on the planet. Her dress brushed the pavement, swishing around her feet, and I couldn't help but notice that her skin was so pale there really wasn't much difference between it and the garment.

Also—another thing to note—even if it was April, it still was pretty chilly at three in the morning. Her dress was completely strapless, leaving her arms and shoulders bare, but it didn't seem to bother her at all. She didn't even have goosebumps while I was practically freezing in my tank top, wishing I'd been able to grab an extra jacket since I'd draped mine over Kenny. It also didn't escape my attention that Robert kept glancing at me, plucking at the sleeves of his own hoodie as if he wanted to give it to me. For a reason I didn't understand, I tried to push that to the back of my mind.

The rest of our group looked just as skeptical about this girl as I did—even Kenny seemed to be walking as far away from her as he could get without leaving my side. We continued winding through streets, passing by parks and strange buildings in places I'd never seen in my entire life.

Finally, when my feet felt like they were made of lead, I asked, "Where exactly are you going?"

Korianne didn't stop walking. "Not _where_, Natalie_. _I'm looking for something specific. ...ah ha!"

She went down the street, walking straight towards... an old fountain? It was quite large—a giant circle of dull, cracked marble with a statue of a woman standing in the middle, cradling a globe in her arms. She had flowers in her hair and vines growing around her naked body, but her mouth was wide open and there was a hole in the center—presumably where the water would've came out if the fountain worked. It looked like a very strange statue of Demeter.

Aaron, on the other hand, had other ideas. "Is that Snow White?"

Korianne's face morphed into a disapproving look. "Snow White..." Her eyes glittered a little, like that was an excellent joke. "No. It isn't."

"Right," Aaron murmured. "She's missing the birds."

Korianne walked up to the side of the fountain, the rest of us following closely at her heels. I studied the fountain, wondering why it looked partially familiar. Korianne stepped into the dry bottom of the fountain and walked up to the statue. She pressed her hand on top of the globe—right above where Australia should be—and shouted, "_Enter_!" in Ancient Greek.

The five of us scrambled backwards as a panel on the bottom of the fountain slid open with a great grinding noise, revealing a set of stairs leading downwards into the darkness. Korianne leaned over the entrance, examining her handiwork, before letting out a sigh.

"It's not the best way to travel," she said with a slight sneer, "but it's good enough."

"Um..." Robert mumbled, "what exactly is 'it?'"

Korianne frowned at him. "Underground tunnels, Robert. There is a network around the United States—only a few... _select_ people know about them. The entrances are these fountains."

"That's where I've seen them before," I murmured. "I've seen one of these in Central Park, I think."

"Yes," she said. "There's also one that appears not far from Camp Half-Blood. If you know how to navigate the tunnels correctly, then you can reach your destinations in less than half the time of a normal commute."

"That's... convenient," Emma said, looking down nervously at the underground tunnel. It was my best guess that she didn't like the underground—she _was_ the daughter of a wind god, after all. She glanced at Korianne again. "Are you sure this is safe?"

Korianne stepped onto the top step. She looked at Emma with amusement, and then gave a non-committal shrug. "Nope."

And then she disappeared into the tunnel.

* * *

Walking in a dark tunnel with a girl I didn't completely trust would never have made my top ten list of things to do. The tunnels were so dark I could barely see the silhouette of my hand if I held it an inch from my face, and the ground squelched under my sneakers as I walked. It was all around eerie and unsettling, whether it be from the darkness, the earthy smell, or the strange fact that the tunnel felt like it was eighty degrees instead of freezing like outside.

Kenny kept close to me, gripping my hand so hard I was afraid I was going to lose circulation in my fingers. Robert also hung close to my side, with his hand presumably resting on the hilt of his sword since his elbow kept bumping to me. Emma and Aaron were holding hands, still looking very unsettled. Emma was breathing hard as if she was trying to prevent a panic attack. Meanwhile, Korianne strolled through the tunnels absently, taking random turns and looking completely at ease. I really hoped she knew where she was going.

"So..." Aaron's voice echoed through the very, very quiet tunnel. "About how much farther, do you think?"

Korianne seemed to consider this. "Not very long. We're nearly there."

"That's good," Emma said, her voice a bit higher than usual. "Because I'm _really_ tired..."

Aaron snorted softly and muttered, "And I'm a unicorn..."

"There'll be time to rest when we surface," Korianne said, ignoring Aaron. We went back to silence, listening to the wet _smack_ of our shoes on the earth, and the _plop_ of water dripping from the ceiling. I could still hear Emma breathing, and feel Kenny squishing close to my side as we turned a corner. Abruptly, Korianne stopped in front of a wall and muttered the password again.

The wall shuddered, and then dropped down into another set of stairs. We climbed them back up—Emma seeming the most enthusiastic of us all—and came out of another fountain. This one wasn't located inside of an empty plaza like the other fountain—in fact, it wasn't even in the city. It was in a graveyard.

The marble fountain stood in the middle, still looking worn and decrepit like the other one. Rows of carved graves spread out on all sides, most overgrown with weeds and brambles, none of the dates going up past the 1990s. A few even had the remains of flower bouquets laying near the headstones—piles of brown-gray mush and faded ribbons where the rain had turned the flowers to pulp. Vines snaked up and down the graves, crawling up the statue in the fountain, growing right next to the marble vines and exploding from the woman's mouth. Thick, dark woods surrounded the graveyard on three sides, the fourth led to a highway. The other side of the highway looked like a field, which would've been much more pleasing than popping up in an abandoned cemetery. I could barely make out a sign in the dark; _**DELPHI STRAWBERRY SERVICE: PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES! **_and an arrow pointing down the road.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Korianne said in a cool, cheerful tone, strolling through the lines of the graves. Robert and I shared a nervous glance.

"Um... thank you for the help," I said. "But we should probably be going now... heading to the camp..."

"Oh, no, not yet," she said, turning back to us. "You should probably get some rest first. Didn't you say you were tired, Emma?"

"But can't we just rest when we get to the camp?" Emma suggested meekly.

"It's an _awful_ long walk from here, actually," she said, taking another step towards us. "Besides, your... _little one_"—she glanced at Kenny—"looks almost like he's about to keel over. Rest awhile, and start moving again in the morning."

"I think we can tough it out," Aaron said, shouldering his bag. "Come on, guys—"

"No, I insist!" she said quickly, sitting on the edge of the fountain. "I'll be walking around the graveyard, watching out for monsters." She gestured at the ground near the fountain. "Sleep. You'll be absolutely _fine_."

Heart in my throat, I hesitantly sat down on the ground with the others. We sat against the marble fountain, huddling under blankets and looking around nervously. Kenny burrowed into my side.

Robert frowned a little and murmured, "I don't like this at all."

"Me either," Aaron and I said in unison. Kenny nodded.

"Should we try to just sneak away?" Emma asked. "She... she doesn't seem right in the head."

"Exactly," Aaron muttered. "If she catches us leaving, there's no telling what she might do. She might have, like, a psychotic break or something and murder us all."

Kenny whimpered softly, and I glared at Aaron sharply. "That isn't helping."

He shrugged a little. "Fine. Murdered in our sleep, or when we're awake. You choose, Nat."

Kenny shuddered again, and I frowned. "Let's just do what she says. She's staying near the highway, anyways. Besides, we'd hear her if she tried to sneak up on us. Rest, and we'll deal with this in the morning."

"Okay," Aaron sighed, and then added in an undertone, "I suppose being murdered in our sleep would be less painful."

I chose to ignore that, and instead settled my head onto the cold marble. Laying in between Aaron and Robert with Kenny clutched to my side, I felt mildly safe (okay... not really), and I managed to close my eyes once Kenny was asleep. True, the blanket was scratchy, the marble definitely didn't make the best pillow, and there was a possibly schizophrenic girl lurking around, but I drifted off into dreams anyways.

Unfortunately, I dreamed about my uncle.

He was sitting nervously on the living room couch in my old house, his eyes flickering around the room. I could hear the heavy boots of the men walking around the house, and the sound of things being thrown and broken. One of them—the leader, with the gun—emerged from the hallway and began pacing in front of my uncle. He looked agitated, scratching at the bandage that had been wrapped around his head after I'd bashed his skull in with the wrench.

"So, Mark..." he started casually, standing in front of my uncle and talking as if they were old friends and he wasn't holding a gun. "How do you suppose we go about this situation, hm?"

"She was an ungrateful little girl anyways," my uncle said, clearly trying to suck up to this man and keep his life. "You saw her attitude. She probably wouldn't have been much use to you, anyways."

The man looked at him suspiciously. "If you knew her behavior was like that... then why would you bet her?"

Uncle Mark looked scared for a second before regaining his tactics. "I figured some guys like you... maybe you'd have a better time of whipping her into shape."

"Whipping her into shape," he mused. "Hm. And I guess getting clonked on the head with a wrench was part of 'whipping her into shape?'"

Uncle Mark began to sweat. "She's feisty, ain't she? Eh hehe..."

The man frowned, clearly unimpressed. "Well, you're going to have to make up for that loss. Say... you don't have any more _money_, do you?"

He shook his head vigorously. "Oh, no, you've cleaned me dry." That was a complete lie. I knew he had money hidden under the floorboards of his bedroom.

"Well," the man said, loading a bullet into his pistol. "We'll just have to work out another form of pay, right?"

He aimed the gun for Uncle Mark's kneecap, and his eyes got wide. "Oh, no! I-I can—"

I startled awake to the sound of the gunshot, flying up in my blanket. I was panting and sweating, stifling hot even in the chilly air. The other four were still sound asleep, but I didn't see Korianne around anywhere. That wasn't exactly reassuring.

I looked around again, noticing that the horizon was a tiny bit brighter, indicating that the sun would be rising soon. Even though it was a little brighter outside—the lighting seemed to make the graveyard look even more threatening somehow—I was still able to distinguish a blueish-colored light coming from around one of the gravestones. Frowning, I stood up silently and started to creep over towards the light, ducking behind the marble stone.

When I got close enough to peer around the stone and see the source of the light, I had to clamp a hand over my mouth to stifle a scream. Korianne was crouched at the bottom of the blank grave, holding out her hand. Inside her palm burned the blue light, almost like blue flames. But the strangest thing wasn't her. It was what she was talking to.

There was a face swirling in the grayish dirt—the face of a woman. Her eyes were mostly closed, almost as if she was sleeping. Her face was stretched into a grin, almost, but it looked sinister, like she had just succeeded at something particularly nasty. But the worst part was her voice—it was sleepy and drowsy, but filled with so much malice that hearing it made me shutter.

"You've done well," the woman said to Korianne.

Korianne smiled cruelly. "I serve you alone, mother. I am glad my work is satisfactory."

"Yes..." the woman crooned. "She is a perfect target, as I suspected, correct?"

"Oh, perfect indeed," Korianne said. "I can see the way she protects him... so easy to use. Spirited, too. We couldn't have gotten luckier."

"It will be an enormous help to my rise," she said.

"You will be able to use her for a variety of things, I'm sure," Korianne added. Use _who_? What were they talking about?

"Mmm... yes," the woman said. "A minor role to play, but important nonetheless."

Korianne nodded enthusiastically. "I'll have him to you by tonight."

"Make sure you do not slip up. Do not get too comfortable... pride is always a downfall," she reminded her.

"Yes, mother," Korianne said dutifully.

"Good," the woman said. "Good..."

The face faded back into the dirt, and Korianne stood. I dashed as fast as I could back to the others, and shook them all awake, my heart beating erratically.

"What's going on?" Emma whispered. Quickly, I explained to them what I'd seen.

"We need to go _now_," I urged, grabbing my bag. "Or she might—"

"Or she might what?" Korianne's voice said from behind me. I whirled around to see Korianne... but not Korianne. Now, instead of an eleven year-old girl, she was a full grown woman, gazing down at us, her eyes hard like stone.

"Eavesdropping, are we?" she snarled. "That isn't a wise idea, Natalie. You don't know exactly who you're messing with."

"Enlighten me," I muttered.

Her face twisted into another cold smile. She held up a hand, and suddenly, big, fluffy snowflakes started to rain down from her palm. "I am not some disgusting half-blood, demigod. I am Khione, the goddess of snow."

"What do you want from us?" Robert demanded. "We haven't done anything to you!"

"True," she said, "but I'm not after all of you. Just this one..."

As fast as lightning, Khione had Kenny in her clutches, clamping down onto his shoulders and holding him in place. He tried to struggle and get away from her, but she held fast. I summoned my spear from my necklace—effectively scaring Emma and Aaron to death—and charged forward at the goddess.

She simply snapped her fingers, and a blizzard erupted around us. I tried to reach her and my little brother, but it was useless. The snow stung my eyes and burned my skin, biting into my bare arms as it whirled around. I couldn't see two feet in front of my face, and all I could hear was her menacing laugh above the roar of snow. I couldn't even see any of the others.

I swung the spear around blindly and screamed in frustration, grabbing out for _anything_. My knee hit the side of the fountain and the wind spun faster while I was off balance, knocking me onto the ground. The spear skittered from my hand, and the snow began closing in, wrapping around me like a cocoon, encasing me in freezing water so cold I couldn't move. I could see Khione there, still holding onto a now sobbing Kenny, laughing as my friends continued to stumbled around in the blizzard.

I squirmed, trying to move towards her, but the snow and ice weighed a ton. She cackled. "You'll be seeing me again soon, godling. Farewell, and... good luck. _You'll need it_."

I watched in horror as a thin crust of ice began to spread over Kenny from Khione's hand, traveling up his wrists and freezing him in place as he cried. It spread across her too as she simply grinned at me, and before long they were both encased in ice. Abruptly, the ice shattered and the blizzard stopped, leaving only piles of mush where Kenny had previously been standing. I sat there on the ground, paralyzed with horror and cold, staring at the ground before the rest of the group stumbled over to me.

Then, it finally hit me.

"_KENNY_!"

* * *

**Oh no! Kenny has been taken by the forces of Gaea... even though they don't really know that, yet. **

**Canon characters WILL be introduced in the next chapter, so, don't worry about this being all OCs. I hate stories that don't incorporate the elements from the actual book.**

**Anyways, if all is well, the next chapter should come out next weekend. But who knows? I might release it today, or Wednesday, or... well, you get the point. But no later then this weekend.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading this! Reviews are appreciated. :) Don't forget to vote on couple names!**


	8. VIII: I Get a Sign

**Hello! Rachel here, with chapter eight. It looks like my schedule is going to be a new chapter every Sunday morning... but don't bet on that all the time. I might end up releasing on Saturdays, sometimes. It depends. Most of the time, I'll be writing up the chapter Saturday night, and posting it the next morning. But whatever. You don't care about that.**

**Anyways, this chapter is going to answer a few biting questions that you keep pestering me about in the reviews. ;) It's about the same length as the last one, I think, around... eh, 3.6k words? Still, it's about a four or five minute read at my reading pace. But I do read pretty fast... :P**

**ALSO, couple names are tallied. :) Here are the results:**

**_Robalie:_ 5 votes—6 if you count mine. [Our winner!]**

**_Natabert:_ 1 vote**

**_Ronat:_ 0 votes**

**So, yes, when refering to Robert/Natalie fluffiness, Robalie is the official term. xD If you are refering to Emma/Aaron fluffiness, Emron is your word. :)**

**Anyways, onto the story! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO. [Also, thanks to my beta-reader for the grammar suggestions.]**

* * *

_**- CHAPTER VIII: I GET A SIGN -**_

* * *

I was already stumbling to my feet before I'd even finished calling Kenny's name. I rushed over the spot where I'd last seen him, refusing to believe my eyes. Falling to my knees in the puddle of snow and mush, I scrabbled around, looking for any sign of my little brother. It was a hopeless attempt—I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that he was gone.

"No," I whispered, slamming my fist against the ground. "_No!_"

My eyes watered and my body began to shake, whether it was from cold or grief, I didn't know. The others still stood behind me, paralyzed with surprise. I couldn't believe it. _He was gone._

"H-he's only five!" I choked before the tears started running down my cheeks. The others finally seemed to regain brain function, and rushed up to my side. Emma crouched next to me, pulling me into a hug while the boys hovered around awkwardly. I cried into her shoulder, since I was way past the point of caring about my dignity.

Emma patted my back. "Calm down some, Nat. We'll figure this out, okay?"

I drew back awkwardly, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand even though it did nothing to stop the tears. Robert and Emma looked very concerned while Aaron just wore a grim face, looking at the mush with disdain. I managed to stumble to my feet, still shaking like I had hypothermia.

"Why would they take him?" I whispered.

Aaron shook his head, biting his lip. "Didn't you overhear her conversation a few minutes ago? Maybe that had something to do with it."

"But why would she lead us to the camp?" Emma asked, gesturing to the sign.

"I don't know," I said, my voice strained. "I just want to get out of here." There was a strange chill in the air, almost if the Earth itself knew what had just happened. And the fact that we were in a graveyard... it didn't make me feel any better.

Robert nodded. "Yeah. Let's not stick around in case she comes back."

I grabbed my backpack off the ground, and picked up the spear—which had changed back into necklace form—and put it around my neck. I briefly remembered the note. Had my mother known what was going to happen to Kenny? Had she been trying to prepare me or warn me?

I don't really remember much of the walk up the road, trudging towards the camp past fields of strawberries and grass. I vaguely remember Robert giving me his jacket after I shivered for the millionth time, blushing scarlet, of course. I also remember how guilty I felt about not being able to protect Kenny, and how bone crushing it was to not being holding his hand after doing it for the past few days all the time. Emma and Aaron were also having a hushed conversation somewhere in front of me, but I wasn't really listening. I just kept staring vacantly at the fields.

Finally, we arrived at the bottom of an enormous green hill. The grass was ankle high and wet with dew, glittering in the sunrise. At the crest of the hill stood a tall, healthy pine tree with an abundance of thick, green needles. On one of the highest branches glittered a giant gold piece of wool, and a huge purple-scaled dragon was curled up around the trunk.

"You think this is it?" Aaron asked, looking at the tree quizzically.

"That's the Golden Fleece," I said, sniffling. "Jason and the Argonauts. Greek mythology. It's my best bet..."

Apparently taking that as enough of a reason (after all, there _was_ a dragon taking a morning nap), we all began to climb the large hill. It felt like forever as we climbed it, maybe from anticipation or just because the hill was that large. But when we got to the top, it suddenly became worth it.

"Wow," Emma breathed.

_Wow_ pretty much summed it all up.

At the bottom of the hill beyond patches of strawberries, there was a huge multi-story house with blue metal roofing and wooden paneling. Rocking chairs sat on a long wraparound porch, and there was also something that looked like a card table, but I couldn't be sure. Windows dotted the sides of the house, and an eagle weather vane spun on the top in the breeze. But the house wasn't the most impressive thing.

Farther behind the house, several very strange looking buildings dotted the valley. One was a marble, open-air pavilion which sported several picnic tables across it's surface, but also had a very peculiar crack running across the marble. Another looked suspiciously like an arena of some sort, and there also seemed to be an enormous climbing wall with strange, glowing red substance flowing down it. There was also an expansive stretch of thick woods—which I didn't look at too long, since it reminded me of the graveyard—and a blue lake glittering in the distance.

Wooden buildings that appeared to be stables sat close to the strawberry fields, the heads of different horses poking out of the gaps in the fencing, and I thought I might've seen a wing or two. There was also an amphitheater on the far end of the camp with a large fire pit in the middle, and a strange building that was made of marble with steel columns melded into it and a chimney steadily pouring smoke from the roof.

But the strangest thing was the circle of buildings in the middle of the camp. None of them looked the same—actually, only two looked even remotely similar to each other. They were at the head of the circle, both tall and large, made of marble with etchings that I couldn't make out on the doors. Another one was low and long, made of what looked like crushed seashells. The one directly next to it was painted a gaudy color of red with a boar's head hanging above the door. Beside that, the next building gleamed a blinding gold in the sun, and the one after that looked like a miniature factory.

It was all very strange, staring down at this camp and these weird buildings while the purple dragon looked at us sleepily out of one eye. It was almost surreal, as if I was dreaming this and would wake up sprawled on the floor of my uncle's kitchen at any moment. As wonderful as this all was, half of me wished to wake up. Maybe I'd still be holding Kenny's hand.

Aaron could only manage to say one thing in his stupor. "Is that... lava?" Robert and Emma had equal expressions of shock and wonder plastered across their faces.

"I think so," I murmured.

With a quick shake of her head, Emma managed to break out of her trance. "So... we just walk down there? They won't kill us... I think."

"Well, we could ask her," Robert said, pointing down the valley.

Walking around the large house was a teenage girl about my age, carrying a rolled-up piece of parchment under her arm. She was relatively fit and tan with blonde curls tied up in a ponytail. She didn't necessarily look happy, but it was better than standing on a hillside all morning.

"Um, excuse me!" Aaron called awkwardly, waving his hands above his head like an air traffic conductor. I could've sworn I heard the dragon snort off to the side.

The girl jumped, clearly noticing us for the first time. She frowned up at us, adjusting the parchment under her arm, before beginning to make her way up the hillside. I suddenly became very aware of the knife strapped to her arm and the mildly irritated expression she seemed to be wearing.

Up close, I could see that her eyes were an intense gray, but they looked dark and distracted. She also had purple circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept well—explaining what she was doing up at 7:00 in the morning when nobody else was around. She looked a little run-down, but kept a calm, commanding appearance anyways.

She stopped a foot or two in front of us, her eyes falling on Robert and Aaron's swords and Emma's bow before she asked, "Demigods?"

A simultaneous sigh of relief came from everyone but me as I answered flatly, "Yes."

"So," Aaron said, his voice sounding a little giddy, "this is the demigod camp?"

The girl nodded. "Camp Half-Blood. One of... er, two demigod havens in the United States. I'm Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena, and one of the leaders of this camp."

I drew Robert's jacket tighter around my shoulders as the wind whistled through my hair and damp clothing. "Nice to meet you," I muttered, though my voice sounded strangely hollow and unenthusiastic.

I expected her to probably get a little irritated with my slight rudeness, but she studied my face for a moment and her features softened in a look of sympathy and... understanding? How the heck did this girl know what was going on? Then I remembered that my eyes were probably still puffy from crying, and I looked rather sullen, so it might not have been hard to tell.

"How about I take you four to our activities director, Chiron?" she said. "He'll get everything sorted out and"—she glanced at me—"you can tell him any strange... occurrences."

We all nodded and followed her down the hill, glad to get out of the wind. The five of us walked up the steps to the wraparound porch, trudging around lawn chairs and various other things to the door. Annabeth finally pulled open the door, releasing a blast of warm air that felt immensely good on my half-frozen body.

We shuffled inside only to find another teenager leaning against the wall, tapping his foot as if waiting for someone. He was more around Emma's age, also with blonde hair like Annabeth, but he had electric blue eyes instead. There was a tiny scar above his upper lip, and his eyebrows were drawn together as he surveyed each of us, watching while we walked into the house.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows in his direction. "Jason, what's going on?"

The boy named Jason grimaced slightly. "Um... well, there's been a slight complication with the ship—"

"_What_ complication?" she asked.

"Leo's working on it," he explained, "but there's a problem with the monster warding shields and he can't find the blue prints for them and he said that he thought he left them in the Big House, so—"

So this place was called the 'Big House...' Well, it makes sense.

Annabeth sighed and pulled the parchment from under her arm, slapping it in Jason's hand. "You need to tell Piper to get Leo to sleep if he's been working so hard he can't remember giving me the plans last night for refinements."

"Right," he sighed, looking down at the plans. He raised his gaze back to us. "New campers?"

"Yup," she said. "I came to hand them over to Chiron."

He nodded and then stepped forward, extending a hand to Robert. "Jason Grace, the... erm, second-in-command."

Annabeth rolled her eyes as they shook. "It's been six months Jason, you can stop with the hesitation."

Jason was saved from a very awkward explanation as the door to the office creaked open, revealing a middle-aged man in a wheelchair. He had a scruffy brown beard and a small bald patch on the top of his head, and was wearing a tweed jacket over a white t-shirt. There was a blanket spread over his legs. He had a kindly look in his brown eyes, but also looked very knowledgeable. He looked at the four of us with interest, but his eyes eventually came to rest on me.

"Annabeth, child, are these new campers?" he asked, still looking at me.

"Yes, sir," she said. She then looked at us. "This is Chiron."

"Nice to meet you," I said, but this time it felt a little more sincere. Somehow, I saw my father in this man, and it relaxed me slightly.

Chiron smiled softly at me. "Same on my end, as well. Please, you lot, step into my office. Let's have a little chat."

* * *

Once the four of us were seated on a comfy couch in Chiron's office, while Annabeth and Jason leaned on the far wall and Chiron sat in his wheelchair in front us, he began to ask us a few questions. I could tell he knew something strange had happened, and I felt a strong urge to trust him.

He sat back in wheelchair. "Please, introduce yourselves. Name, age, and parentage, if you will."

Aaron cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, Aaron Kipner, 16, Hermes."

"Emma Hiltz, 15, Zephyrus." Annabeth's eyebrows went up a little.

"Robert Miller, 16, Hecate."

"Natalie Hartford, 16... um, unclaimed," I finished lamely.

"Wonderful," Chiron said, tapping his fingers on the blanket. "How did you find the camp without a satyr, exactly? We normally send them out to escort demigods to our camp."

"Well, we saw the van for the strawberry company," Emma started, "looked up the address in a phonebook, and kind of... um, made our way here."

Annabeth frowned. "The address is hidden in the phonebooks."

"Robert did some funky magic," Aaron added helpfully.

Robert grimaced. "It's not _funky_, Aaron..."

"Anyways," Emma said, cutting them off, "we got here..."

"Well," Chiron said. "Though the four of you are a little old, it's good that you've gotten here without getting hurt. I'm hoping you'll enjoy it here, even in these... challenging times."

"Challenging times?" Emma asked.

"Yes," Chiron said. "But you mustn't worry about that, yet. I'm sure your fellow siblings will supply you with that information soon enough. Now... Jason, Annabeth, do you mind taking these three to their respective cabins and giving them a tour? I'd like to have a chat with Natalie."

"What about Emma?" Annabeth pointed out. "We don't have a cabin for any of the wind gods."

"I'm sure the Demeter cabin will be suitable," Chiron said. "Katie and Miranda would love to take you in."

"Yes, sir," they both said promptly. "Come on, you guys," Jason added. They shuffled out of the Big House, Robert casting one nervous glance at me over his shoulder, and disappeared into the camp. Now I was left alone with Chiron, the only sounds the creaking of the floorboards as Chiron wheeled his chair back and forth slightly.

"You seem like a very perceptive, knowledgeable young woman, Natalie," he began. "And based upon that estimation, I am sure you can tell that I am very much like you. Not much escapes your attention, as with me." I gave a mute nod. He continued to look at me expectantly, and I understood what he wanted. He wanted to know what had happened while we were getting to the camp. I bit my bottom lip.

"Natalie," he said gently, "what happened?"

I sunk lower into the couch, my hands shaking slightly. I took a deep breath, and quietly relayed the morning's events to Chiron who listened patiently, not pressuring me when I had to stop and collect myself for a moment. An unsettling silence fell over the room after I'd finished.

"A woman in the dirt, you say?" he asked.

I nodded. "She was reporting to her... S-she called her 'mother.'"

"Mother Earth," Chiron said gravely.

"Gaea?" I asked.

He nodded. "She is the cause of the camp's troubles, nowadays. You see, last summer, we had a victory over her sons, the Titans. Now she is awakening her other children, the Giants, but is also waking from her own slumber. If she does arise... well, it is very likely she will wipe out the entire human civilization as well as the gods. The fact that she has taken your little brother... it does not bode well for you."

"For me?" I asked. "But I'm not the one who—"

"Hostages, child," he said. "Your brother is very young, and thus would be unable to complete Gaea's tasks out of fear and naivety. But you... you are a very different story. If she can lure you into her trap..."

I swallowed hard. "So... does that mean she won't k-kill him?"

"Certainly not," Chiron said. "Then her entire plan would be useless. But I must advise you to be careful, Natalie. Do not act rashly. If anything is making you uncomfortable or bothering you... I want you to come to me at once. Do you understand?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

He sat back in his chair. "Well, then all we can do right now is wait for new information. She'll be sending a trap soon enough, child. But, for the moment, let's get you settled into camp, shall we?"

"But I don't know my mother," I said quietly.

He smiled slightly. "I have a feeling about where to put you, my dear."

* * *

After allowing me to shower and change clothing—boy, that was a relief—Chiron gave me a tour of the camp. It was fairly interesting, between seeing pegasi and the arena, being shown the armory (even though I had informed Chiron I had a suitable weapon), and seeing the climbing wall that was, in fact, covered in lava. Also, it had been quite surprising when he'd taken the form of a centaur, of course, but I'd remembered the myths about him enough for it not to scare me witless. But the one thing I was most interested in was finding out who my mother was. I kind of wanted to put a name to her face, as much as I hated it.

So when we finally walked into the circle of cabins, I felt a surge of anxiety. What if she didn't care? What if she didn't _want_ to claim me? I shook my head slightly to get rid of those thoughts._ Don't be ridiculous_, I reminded myself as I fingered my necklace. _She gave you a gift, didn't she?_

Walking into the commons area, Chiron immediately took a right and stopped at the cabin right at the opening. It was tall and proud looking, made out of smooth gray stone shot through with gold streaks. The door was made of what looked like solid gold, with the handles carved out of the gray stone. Above the door, a golden symbol was nailed; a torch with wings surrounded by laurels. It reminded me a little of my necklace.

I ran my finger over the stone walls. "This is the Nike cabin," Chiron said. "Nike is the goddess of victory, Natalie. She was also Zeus' charioteer and was highly respected for intelligence and battle prowess for she has served in battle with both Athena and Ares. In some accounts, Nike is actually a representation of Athena, like an alter-ego, almost. The cabin is empty, as of now, because we believe that since Athena was a virgin goddess and Nike is often closely related to her, that she has a bit more restraint when it comes to mortal affairs."

I nodded, looking up at the torch above the door. "So... you think this is my mother?"

"We can't be sure until you are claimed," he said, "but I believe I am fairly accurate."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Children of Nike have specific attitudes and goals, Natalie," he said. "I can see it in the way you walk and talk, and the way you handle your loss. Children of Nike hating losing—whether it be losing competitions, losing objects, or losing people. There's also that sense of drive and determination. This does fit you, does it not?" Flushing a little, I nodded. "And also the laurel necklace she gave you... laurels are a symbol of victory."

"Nike..." I mumbled, pressing my palm to the stone. "When will she claim me?"

"It should happen within the day," Chiron said. "There is a new pact requiring the gods to claim all their children before the age of thirteen, and since you're sixteen... it'll come very soon."

Looking up at the cabin, I felt more alone then I had ever felt before. I'd been a little hopeful of having half-siblings to fall back on, but to find out that I would be alone yet again... it was depressing. And now I didn't even have Kenny.

Chiron, apparently reading my expression, put a hand on my shoulder. "Do not despair, child, because you are never alone."

_Chiron is right_, I told myself determinately. It wasn't like I didn't have friends, and obviously I had his support. I wasn't going to let Khione or Gaea bring me down, or keep my little brother. I could handle this. I'd handled everything on my own so far, hadn't I? Surely I could do it again.

Suddenly, a bright light flared from above the top of my head. It was a honey-gold color, washing over the walls of the Nike cabin. The few people who were now up and walking around the green stopped and looked, clapping quietly. I looked up to find a symbol spinning over my head—a winged torch circled by laurels. Her symbol. Nike was claiming me as her child. My mother was _claiming_ me.

_You are never alone._

* * *

**Yes, finally! She's been claimed! Kudos to all of you who guessed Nike (pretty much everyone), you're a smarticle particle. If you know your gods/goddesses well, you probably could've figured it out from just the first sentence of the summary. But I've wanted to make a child of Nike for FOREVER. I just think they'd be so cool... I mean, it's like a child of Athena but with that added bonus of being Zeus' charioteer so they're presumably good with horses.**

**So, they're finally at camp! Chiron is going all fatherly, Annabeth is all moody because of Percy, Jason's all awkward because of Percy, and Robert is finally going to get some proper training from Lou Ellen. Aaron and the Stolls... oh dear gods. Also, I should be getting in Aaron's past within the next two chapters, but I'm not sure about Emma...**

**RGNIERVNIERCVI MARK OF ATHENA IN _TWO_ DAYS. I CAN'T WAIT! (Which means by the time the next chapter comes out, we will all be high on Percabeth feels...) Sorry, had to mention it. Everyone's going insane. By the way, all you fanfiction writers out there who are going to read it the day it comes out and then start flooding fanfic stories about it, I would put '_MoA Spoilers_' in the summary of your story. Because chances are it'll be about a month or two before all of us are up to date. ;) It's considerate, especially for those of us fangirls who bought the signed copy that won't be shipped til the end of the month (not me, obviously, I already have it pre-ordered to download to my iBooks the second it's out). **

**Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed reading. All reviews are read, fangirled over, and appreciated. ;)**


	9. IX: A Bit of History

**Hi! Here I am with chapter nine... even if it was supposed to come out this morning. Sorry. :) Besides, I didn't have as much focus on this story because of Mark of Athena feels... If you haven't read it yet, I will only say one thing; You'll probably need a box of tissues. And, you know, a quiet place where you can spazz out and cry in peace.**

**If you have read it... feel free to PM me to rant about the feels and potential speculations for the next book. I'm mostly sane now, though I keep getting a bunch of Percabeth feels at random times... and oddly enough, Percy/Sally motherly feels. I don't get that one. I think I'll write a one-shot when I've got this chapter out.**

**Also, I'm having Harry Potter feels too, because I just finished the sixth book and am suffering the agonizing wait until tomorrow when I get the Deathly Hallows from my English teacher. Once I finish it, expect Harry Potter fanfiction. The series is now rivaling Percy Jackson as my favorite books...**

**But one last thing, I changed the chapter titles of chapters 6-8 in this story. I wanted to make them a little less boring and repetitive. It's been bothering me for a little while.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter. :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO. If I did, MoA wouldn't have ripped my heart out. It is a sad, sad time to be a hardcore Percabeth shipper...**

**And once again, always a thanks to SerendipityInSerendipity for the beta-reading. **

* * *

_**- CHAPTER IX: A BIT OF HISTORY-**_

* * *

I had never felt so miserable in my entire life.

I had the Nike cabin all to myself—six steel bunks covered with golden and cream sheets, shiny golden floors, walls made of smooth stone, and not to mention a statue of the goddess herself staring at me from the opposite end of the cabin from the door. A wooden chest had been hauled in by a couple other kids and sat at the edge of my bed, full of all my worldly possessions—two changes of clothing, a toothbrush, a picture of my father, and a battered teddy bear that belonged to Kenny.

I'd spent the day following the Athena cabin around, feeling more lost than I could even understand. Apparently, Nike had such close ties with Athena that one of the statues of the wisdom goddess portrayed her holding my mother in her palm. So I was lumped together with them, constantly feeling embarrassed when I had to ask Annabeth to explain something strange to me. She didn't seem to mind—she actually told me I asked a lot less questions than most new campers—but I still couldn't help feeling completely alien.

Not to mention that I was also technically Nike's senior counselor, which didn't work when I had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Another thing that didn't really help my adjustment was the gnawing anger at my mother that still remained in my stomach. I had never liked her when she had refused to even admit her identity, but I seemed more determined to hate her when I had a name to her face. The goddess of victory, triumph. And boy, I was such a victory.

Whenever someone asked, "So you're the new daughter of Nike?" I almost wanted to say, "No, I'm Jake Hartford's daughter," but managed to bite my tongue. It probably wouldn't do me much good to be snippy with my fellow 'campers,' but gods I didn't want to be associated with the goddess who inadvertently killed my father. Especially not when she found four years later to be a good time to make it up to me. And the emptiness I still felt from losing Kenny...

On the other hand, my friends seemed to be adjusting well. Robert was getting along great with Lou Ellen—the kind, green-eyed girl with a short blonde bob who happened to be the senior counselor of the Hecate cabin. Emma seemed to be having a good time with the Demeter kids, though she didn't quite share some of their views on the importance of cereal. Aaron didn't even have to try to fit in with the Hermes kids, he was basically a duplicate of Travis and Connor Stoll.

So I could only nod and try to smile politely as the four of us sat on a bench right before curfew, and listened to the others rave about how great the camp was. It was impressive and a nice place—but my heart wasn't into it. I missed my brother too much.

"So how was your day, Nat?" Aaron asked once he'd stopped talking about how Travis was going to teach him how to pick a lock with just his brain-power.

I gave a small shrug. "Fine."

"Is that it?" he asked. "You've had to have done _something_ interesting today."

I rubbed my face. "I... I dunno."

"What does the goddess Nike do again?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck. "I don't remember."

"She's the goddess of victory," I muttered. "Competitions. Battles. Things like that."

"So you're supposed to win at everything?" he asked. "Isn't that a bit of overkill?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I don't have any other siblings to test the theory. Except..." I trailed off awkwardly, swallowing hard. Everyone else looked down a little.

"You know," Aaron said quietly, "you could probably pray to your mother for—"

"I'd rather cut off my own leg than pray to her," I said bitterly. Aaron and Emma looked a little surprised, but Robert just gave me a concerned look. But before either of them could ask questions, Katie Gardener from Demeter showed up, and Emma dragged Aaron off to meet her, claiming that she was a very nice person. That left Robert and me sitting alone on the bench.

He turned to face me and said softly, "Aaron does have a point, Nat."

I slumped down on the bench. "I don't care. Nike has already ruined my life once. I don't need her coming and screwing anything else up."

"It wasn't her fault your father acted the way he did," he said.

"She was the one who broke him," I said stubbornly.

"And he was the one who didn't see the good things in life anymore."

"I don't care."

He rocked back and forth slightly on the bench, studying my face as if he wasn't sure what to say to that. "Think about it this way, Nat. If your mother hadn't come back, would you have your little brother?" It was almost like I'd been slapped in the face. "I've seen the way you look at him. You care about him more than anything else. Or _anyone_ else."

"And now he's g—" I started, but Robert cut me off.

"Yes he is," he said. "And you want to do everything in your power to get him back, don't you? Of course you do. He's all you have left."

My eyes stung slightly. "What are you trying to tell me?"

He stood. "It wouldn't be a shameful thing to ask your mother for help, Nat," he said. "Even if she's not allowed to show it, she has to care for you one way or another. And your brother."

He turned and walked away, leaving me sitting on the bench, sadder and more confused than ever. _Why do I want to hate her so much?_

* * *

That night, I couldn't sleep. I continued pacing the length of the cabin in the dark, pausing only during a deep thought and occasionally to throw a glance at the statue of my mother. Robert's words kept rolling over in my head. I didn't want to believe that it was my father's fault—that he just simply gave up the will to live. No, it was his fault. It couldn't have been. He wouldn't have just left me like that, would he?

I sat down hard on my bed, flipping open the trunk sloppily. I grabbed the photo out of the bottom, and sunk back into the pillows. It had been way too long since I'd had an actual bed, since the lumpy air-mattress in my uncle's house didn't really account for much.

The photo was worn and the edges were frayed—I'd looked at it almost every day until I was thirteen or fourteen, telling myself I'd never forget his face. He had the same light blonde hair and eyebrows as I did, and the same smile when he was feeling happy. The picture was of us right before my mother left the second time—we were all sitting on the couch, I was leaning into my father's shoulder and holding Kenny while his arm was around me. We were all smiling, except for Kenny, since he seemed amused with crossing his eyes and staring at his nose.

I ran my finger over my father's face, half of me wishing that I could actually touch him again, the other half of me wondering why I held onto this picture like a lifeline. Seeing his face was comforting and painful at the same time. And right now, the comfort overruled the pain. I needed to see something familiar at the moment. So I sat there, running my fingers over the photo, and trying to forget the morning's events.

I don't remember when I fell asleep, but I remember the dreams that I had.

I was eleven again, walking through our house with Kenny cradled in my arms. He was so tiny—just a little round face peeking out of the edge of the blankets I'd wrapped him in. He squirmed slightly in my arms as I walked out of the hallway and into the living room, where my father sat on the couch, his head in his hands.

He looked exhausted. There were purple bags the color of bruises under his eyes, and the skin around them was tinged red. He looked thinner and paler, much less like the strong, confident father that I was used to. His hair seemed to look almost gray.

I stood off the side a little bit, adjusting the baby in my arms. "Dad?"

He looked up at me. "Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

He took a moment to consider that. "Just resting a moment."

"You do that a lot."

There was a pause.

"Yes, I do."

"When are you going to make dinner? I'm hungry."

"You know how to use the microwave, Natalie." _Natalie._ Never Nat or Natty Girl like used to call me.

"But I want a real dinner tonight."

"Well, we don't always get what we want," he snapped. I stepped back slightly, and Kenny made a noise in my arms.

"A-are you mad at me?" I asked, not fully able to understand what was going on.

"No, no..." he said, slumping over a little. "I'm just tired. I'm sorry."

"You're always tired," I pointed out. "Why?"

He looked at me sharply. "Don't you have things to do, Natalie?"

"Why aren't you happy?" I asked, completely ignoring his question. "You don't smile anymore."

He sighed. "It's complicated."

"Life's complicated. Homework is complicated," I said. "But I'm happy."

He sank so low into the couch it looked like he was trying to disappear. "Go find something to do, Natalie."

"Okay."

The dream faded, but was replaced by a much different scene. I was in some sort of forest, drifting through the trees as I followed along in the wake a strange of creature. It was moving so fast I could only make out the flashes of gold—it jumped over roots and wound through branches and thorns effortlessly. It was kind of beautiful in a strange, lucid way, but that was mostly because I didn't really know what I was looking at.

The trees were thinning, becoming less and less close together at the edge of the forest. The creature broke through the tree line, and I was able to see what was beyond. There was an enormous lake—a seemingly never-ending expanse of clear blue water that continued all the way to the horizon. I got my first good look at the creature as it ran down next to the water.

It was even more beautiful up close.

It was an enormous deer—but not just any deer. It was made of complete, solid gold, with sparkling gold antlers and glittering ruby eyes. Its shiny golden coat threw beams of honey-colored light in all different directions, and its bronze hooves pounded against the grass as it ran faster than I'd thought anything could ever have run.

I vaguely remembered it from some myth, but I was too engrossed in watching it run to think about it or care. But the dream began to darken, and the image began to spin, making me fell dizzy and sick. A cold feeling closed around me as the dream winked out, making it almost impossible to breath. A cold bead of sweat trickled down my forehead.

Suddenly, I was staring at a wall of gray stone. I heard a muffled cry from behind me, and turned. I was inside of a large, square room that looked like it was carved from the face of a mountain itself. The stone was bubbling in the middle of the room, like it was slowly being melted from below. In the corner, a small figure was huddled, his hands and feet tied and a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth.

Kenny.

His eyes were red, and he was shaking profusely, but he didn't appear to be harmed. I tried to move forward towards him, to hug him, to do _something_. But my body wouldn't respond to my thoughts, and I remained anchored in place. The bubbling became louder, and the stone swirled, creating the face of the same woman I'd seen Khione talking to—Gaea.

Her eyes were closed, and when she spoke, her lips didn't move. Her voice wrapped around me like ice. _Bring it to me, child. Bring it to me..._

"Bring what to you?" I practically shouted, my voice an octave higher than normal.

Gaea's face stretched into a sleepy smile. _If you wish to see him again, bring it to me... bring it to me... bring it to me..._

I woke when I toppled out of the bed and hit the floor. I twisted myself out of my sheets and stood up. I didn't fail to notice that my knees were knocking a little, and that my hands were shaking. That was like a double hit... my father and my brother all in the same night. I rubbed my eyes with the heel of my hand, and bent down to pick up the picture off the floor. My father's face still smiled up at me, and it felt like someone was poking my heart with an icicle.

I quickly shoved the picture into my pocket, slipping on shoes and grabbing a jacket. I trudged outside into the night, trying to clear my head and make sense of the string of dreams I'd just had. _Bring it to me. _Bring what to her? What could I have that she could possibly want? I didn't have anything valuable...

I shook my head slightly and thought about the deer. I tried to remember the myth... what was it called? Something that started with a c... the Ceryneian Hind. It was an animal sacred of Artemis, and one of the labors of Hercules. The deer that could outrun arrows... and Hercules had to capture it and bring it to—

I stopped suddenly in the middle of the grass. _Bring it to me._ The deer... Gaea wanted me to bring her a golden deer? What the heck could she do with a golden deer? Besides, couldn't she just swallow the creature up or something? She was the goddess of the Earth...

My train of thought was interrupted as someone ran into my back, knocking me flat over into the grass as he stumbled backwards. I wiped the dirt off my face as he rushed around the front, helping me up.

"Oh, Nat, I'm sorry!" Aaron. What was he doing up so late?

"I... I'm fine," I mumbled, drawing my arm out of his grip. "What are you doing up?"

"I should ask you the same question," he said, folding his arms. "Is that Robert's jacket?"

I looked down. "It is?"

He sighed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I said. "You act like knocking me over into the grass would—"

"No," he interrupted. "You look like crap. What happened?"

"Um..." I murmured, trying to find and excuse for being so late at night. "I just... ah, needed to clear my head." The truth, but not all of it.

He looked at me for a second, that same grim expression he'd worn when Kenny had first disappeared. "Your brother?"

I looked at my shoes. "Kind of."

"I heard you muttering," he admitted. "Something about a deer and Hercules... Did you have a dream or something?"

"Er... maybe." Feeling the need to tell someone about my weird dream and the deer, I recounted my visit with Gaea and seeing my brother. I made sure to leave out the dream about my father.

He was quiet for a little while. "You weren't going to do something stupid, were you?"

"No," I said. "Why would you think that?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you were up, wandering around alone in the middle of the night, for starters. And people tend to do reckless things when people they care about are in danger..."

"You sound like you speak from experience."

"Maybe I do."

I looked back up at him. "What do you mean?"

"You're meaning to tell me you haven't wondered how I ended up alone on the streets with Emma?" he asked. "Everyone starts out with family, you know."

"Well, maybe I have wondered some..." I muttered.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I have a twin sister."

That was kind of a surprise. "You do?"

"Well, did, I suppose," he muttered. "Her name was Shelby. One day when we were thirteen, she just... didn't come home. You know they say that twins have that kind of instinct, say, like when the other's in danger? Well, it kind of felt like that. But I waited anyways, wondering if she just had gotten lost or something. But two weeks later... she still didn't come home. So I left home to look for her. Never found her. I just ended myself up homeless and alone, at least, until I met Emma."

I felt incredibly sad for him. He'd lost a sister just like I'd lost a brother. "But... didn't you have a mother? Couldn't you have just gone home?"

"I did," he said bitterly. "When I went back, she wasn't there. The house was empty, as if she had just... moved on. Maybe she thought we were both dead. I don't know."

An awkward silence settled over us. "So... you don't want me to make the same mistake."

"Yeah," he said. "Don't go alone. Don't act stupid. You'll be doing him more favors by coming prepared than just leaving quickly."

I nodded. "I just... I miss him a lot."

Aaron patted my shoulder. "And it'll be that much better when you get him back. Just get some sleep, okay? I'm sure you can tell the centaur guy what happened in the morning."

I stifled a snort. _Centaur guy?_ "Alright. Thanks, Aaron."

"No problem," he said, and started to walk away, before turning back. "Oh, by the way, you dropped this." He handed me the picture of my father, turned and walked away, back towards the direction of the Hermes cabin.

I still wondered what he'd been doing up so late.

* * *

**Okay! So yes, Aaron's backstory. Wow, I'm just full of sob stories, aren't I? I'll see if I can make Emma's much less unhappy, but it's pretty hard to write non-sad backstories for four children without parents anymore. **

**And we're getting to the point of her quest... wow, writing plot twists is going to be a pain in my behind. Oh well. I'll get through it. That's half the fun, right? :)**

**Anyways, if you need a good, healthy dose of humor and feels, feel free to visit my tumblr; my url is sallyjacksoning. Or if you need to fangirl/fanboy, like I said before, send a PM. We can cry over MoA together, guys. **

**Thanks for reading this far. Reviews are appreciated. :)**

**_Also, I'm looking to change the title of my tumblr to something much less boring than 'Innoverse's Universe.' So if you have any ideas for cool titles, or references from books... feel free to stick it in your review somewhere. _[Minor MoA spoiler, though it's pretty out-of-context]_ I was thinking of making it 'Never Again,' but then I'd murder my Percabeth feels every time I looked at my tumblr..._  
**


	10. X: Do Nothing

**Hi, it's Rachel. I need to apologize. Twice. First, for the late update. This was supposed to come out last weekend, but I just wasn't feeling it. To tell the truth, I wasn't feeling it this weekend either. Which brings me to my next apology. I apologize for the shortness and boringness (is that even a word?) of this chapter. I'll get on track next weekend, I promise. :(**

**Also, this wasn't viewed by my beta-reader, so there are probably more errors than usual. Post them if you find them, please. :)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO.**

* * *

_**- CHAPTER X: DO NOTHING -**_

* * *

The next morning, I found myself hesitantly walking up the front steps of the Big House, wondering how the clear blue day could contrast so wildly with my feelings. While the lake was glittering and the birds were twittering, my brother was locked in some kind of stone prison, bound and gagged, crying his eyes out. The thought most definitely wasn't comforting, and it didn't help my mood to remember the image of Kenny—possibly the last image I might ever have of him.

_Great_.

With a heavy heart, I opened the door and looked around the room I'd stepped into. Strangely enough, there was a ping-pong table sitting in the middle of it (minus the net, of course) with an odd collection of mismatched chairs strewn around it like some scrapped together table. Papers written in ancient Greek were tossed across it messily—some detailing the defensive mechanisms in something called the _Argo II_, some had numbers scrawled across them detailing how much it would cost to build different cabins for the gods, and one even looked like it was a petition to serve dessert at council meetings.

On the walls, various things were hung up and displayed. There was an old sword, a jar of something that burned like flames but was the color of Robert's green runes, and a cork board that was plastered with old pictures. Some were black and white, pictures of the whole camp, while others were in color and a lot newer. One showed Annabeth arm-in-arm with a dark-haired boy that I had never seen around. I frowned at it, leaning a little closer.

"That's Percy Jackson," a voice said behind me. I nearly tripped over a stool when I spun around. Annabeth stood there, gazing at the picture sadly. "He was the leader of Camp Half-Blood before..." She trailed off uncomfortably.

"Before you?" I guessed.

She gave a stiff nod. "I was sort-of second in command, like Jason."

"What happened to him?" I asked.

"He... disappeared." Annabeth had pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Were you close?"

"He's my boyfriend."

I grimaced internally. No wonder she looked so tired and run down, she'd probably been looking for her boyfriend around the clock. I remembered what she'd said to Jason, _It's been six months, Jason. _She'd lost someone just like I had. But all I managed to get out was a small, "Oh."

She cleared her throat. "Were you here for something?"

"Um, well, yes," I said. "I was going to talk to Chiron because he told me if I had weird dreams—"

"Sit down," she said, pulling out one of the chairs. "Chiron isn't here right now. But I've been through enough of this I might be able to help you."

I was slightly stunned by this, and stood there gaping at her for a moment before I sat rigidly in a chair next to her. I found myself pouring out everything about my little brother and my dreams, just like I'd done with Aaron. As Annabeth studied my face after I'd finished, she seemed thoughtful but troubled at the same time.

She tapped her fingers on the ping-pong table. "Wow... I'm sorry, Natalie."

"So am I," I said bitterly. "How am I supposed to get him back?"

She looked at me hesitantly. "The deer... do you know what happens when the deer is killed?"

"I haven't heard, no."

"It leaves behind a pelt—a spoil of war," she said. "And this pelt... if it's worn, it's weapon-proof. Not to mention it gives the wearer the speed of the deer."

I stared at her for a moment before it all soaked in. My throat felt dry. "So if I gave it to Gaea for my brother..."

"She could have any one of her sons wear the pelt," she said. "Or even her mortal servants from the Doors of Death."

"The Doors of what?" I asked.

"Chiron didn't tell you about the Doors of Death?" she asked. "They're like Thanatos' personal door to the Underworld. Gaea forced them open and is now bringing souls out to serve her."

"That's wonderful," I muttered. "So I'd basically be making one of her soldiers invincible and uncatchable."

"Basically," Annabeth sighed. "Not to mention making Artemis pretty mad... I'm not sure she'll be quite as sympathetic the second time this has happened."

I put my head down on the ping-pong table. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Do nothing," another voice said from behind me. I jumped again, my head snapping up. I was getting really tired of people sneaking up on me.

Chiron had wheeled into the room silently, and must've been listening in on our conversation. He looked at me, wearing a grim expression mixed with slight pity.

"What do you mean '_do nothing?_'" I asked.

"Precisely what I said," he replied. "You can't bend to Gaea's will, Natalie."

"But Gaea has her _brother_," Annabeth said, looking at Chiron as if he'd gone a little weird. "And you're saying she should just leave him to die?"

Chiron sighed. "It is one life. If Gaea were to be given the pelt... then we'd lose many, many more in the war. Besides—"

"He's _five_!" I protested. "How can you let a five year-old kid die?!"

"You _must_ wait," Chiron insisted. "If you do something rash now, then—"

"If I don't do anything, she'll kill him," I yelped. "I can't let her kill my brother!"

"She isn't killing your brother yet," Chiron said. "If she has gone to the trouble of putting this plan together, then she won't give up that easily. She hasn't even given you enough information to find your brother or the pelt, child."

I was livid. "So I'm just supposed to sit around and wait for her to take something _else_ from me?"

"No," Chiron said. "You are waiting for more information. Now, I suggest you put your brother out of your mind and go eat breakfast. Both of you."

Annabeth and I exchanged a slight glance, but shuffled out of the Big House regardless. But we didn't go to breakfast. As soon as we were a few paces away from the Big House, Annabeth grabbed my shoulder and started pulling me towards the cabins, not the pavilion. "Where are we—"

"The Athena cabin," she interrupted. "I have books on the labors of Hercules. Maybe we can find out more about the hind. There's no way I'm just going to just sit around while someone _else_ is missing..."

"Annabeth, you don't have to—" I started.

"But I want to," she said. "I've done enough sitting around to last a lifetime. Maybe I can at least help one person."

I swallowed hard. "Um, thanks. I appreciate it."

She nodded. "I have a feeling someone else will want to help us, since she was in a similar situation. Can you go to the Aphrodite cabin and find Piper McLean?"

"Piper McLean?" I repeated numbly.

"Yeah," Annabeth said, and dashed through the doors to the Athena cabin. I stood there, feeling like an idiot, because there was an enormous chance that this Piper was at breakfast like the rest of the camp, and that I would standing around the Aphrodite cabin like a stalker for half an hour. But I trudged over there anyways, feeling like I needed something to do.

The Aphrodite cabin looked like it came right out of a princess movie. The outside was alright enough—the roof was painted a dark blue, the walls were gray, and the porch was a weird checkered pattern. But the inside looked like someone created a life sized version of the Barbie Dream House. The walls were painted a light, fluffy pink, and the floor was made of a white, plush carpet. The bedsheets and curtains were a sea of pastels—light blues and greens, all color-coordinated. Everyone had a neatly packed trunk sitting at the foot of their bed. And the smell, all the perfumes were absolutely overpowering.

"Gah!" I cried, slapping my hand over my nose and mouth. "It doesn't smell this bad in _Macy's_!"

A laugh floated from the back of the cabin. A teenage girl appeared—a very pretty Native American looking girl with chocolate-brown hair done up in a braid, and eyes that didn't seem to really be any one color at all. Suddenly, I felt very inadequate with my hacked hair, big feet, and slightly knobby knees.

She grinned at me. "Tell me about it," she said, walking over to the threshold I was still standing on. "Unfortunately, the perfume is in all of the fabrics, so I couldn't get it out when I became counselor. But you get used to it."

I swallowed uncomfortably. Her eyes were a bit unsettling. "Er... are you Piper McLean?"

She smiled again. "Yes I am."

"Well, I'm uh... Natalie Hartford," I said, holding a hand out lamely.

She shook it. "Nice to meet you. Did you need something? Because if you're looking for relationship advice... I'd ask one of my sisters. It's not one of my finer points."

I shook my head. "Actually, I'm looking for my little brother..."

Once again, I launched into another whole explanation about how my brother had been kidnapped, trying not to choke up half-way through. I was really getting tired of explaining it to everyone. But she listened with rapt interest and understanding, and for a moment I could almost see her as a daughter of Athena. No wonder Annabeth seemed to get along with her.

"Your little brother..." she said, her eyes shining with empathy.

"Yeah," I mumbled, my shoulders slumping slightly. "So will you...?"

"Of course," she said. "I've always had kind of a soft spot for little kids..."

I smiled slightly. "So have I."

"So where's Annabeth at?" she asked as we left the Aphrodite cabin.

"Athena cabin," I said.

"I figured," she said, and strolled through the door.

The Athena cabin was more of my kind of place. It was mostly neutral colors—whites, grays, and browns. Beds were shoved close together against the wall, and the rest of the cabin was littered in bookshelves, papers, maps, plans, and all other sorts of good stuff. Annabeth was sitting on one of the bunks with a silver laptop open, flipping through a book about Hercules.

"I've found the story about the deer," Annabeth said without looking up from the book. "It was Hercules's fourth labor. He tracked it for a year before capturing it, but since it was a sacred animal of Artemis, she was going to punish him. But he explained the situation, and she just... let him go."

"Great," I muttered. "So I'm going to have to anger the goddess of the hunt for my little brother?"

"Probably," Piper said.

I sighed. "So how am I supposed to find the thing?"

"Well, you said it was at a lake of some sort," Annabeth said.

"Um, there are millions of lakes in the United States, Annabeth," Piper said. "And you know, more in Canada..."

"Do you remember any specifics?" Annabeth asked me.

I sat down on the bed. "No, just that it was a forest."

Piper pursed her lips and sat on the other side of Annabeth. "If she wanted you to bring this deer to her, then Gaea would have to tell you where it was, right?"

"Right," I said. "But how is she supposed to—"

Suddenly, everything shut off like a candle being blown out. I couldn't hear anything, see anything, smell anything, feel anything, nothing. It was like I'd just been hit over the head with a board or something. Then an image slid into focus so fast it made my insides jump.

It was the same deer, standing by another glittering body of water. It paused long enough for me too look out at the opposite bank—it was an enormous city. The sun was just rising over the buildings, and people were out in the streets bustling about. The cities rose against a clear blue skyline, car horns honking in the ambiance of the morning.

But none of that interested me. The thing that caught my attention was the big, blinking sign that I could see in the distance;** WELCOME TO CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.**

I was sitting on the floor of the Athena cabin, Annabeth and Piper hovering over me like they didn't know what to do. I sat up and rubbed my head, looking around the room blearily.

"What happened?" Piper asked, crouching down beside me.

"Gaea showed me where the deer is," I mumbled. "Chicago. Lake Michigan."

"Lake Michigan?" Annabeth asked. "Are you sure?"

"Well, since their was a big huge sign that said, WELCOME TO CHICAGO, I kind of am," I said, dragging myself up off the ground. "Now, the question of the day is _how am I supposed to catch it?_"

* * *

**AHHHHHH *dies in a hole* That was bad. Well, not so much in quality, but more like... it wasn't interesting. Sorry for this totally filler-ish, boring, chapter. I'm really starting to get lazy...**

**I hope you kind-of enjoyed it and didn't fall asleep. Reviews are appreciated. :)**

**Don't forget to check out my tumblr!**


	11. XI: I Get a Sweet Ride

**Hi! So, another late chapter, but... what can you do? It's here, it's kind of short, and it's only mildly interesting in my opinion. But the real action starts in the next chapter! Which I will also have a three-day weekend to write, so... **

**But anyways, enjoy. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO.**

* * *

_**- CHAPTER XI: I GET A SWEET RIDE -**_

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a blur.

I felt jittery and somewhat empowered, since I knew exactly where I needed to go, and where I needed to start to find Kenny. I found myself idly making plans as the day progressed—wondering how to get away without being seen, wondering how I'd get up to Chicago, wondering how I was supposed to trick an Earth goddess without loosing my brother in the process. _Too many flaws,_ part of my mind whispered, _impossible_. But I wasn't going to let it be impossible. There was no way she was keeping Kenny.

Unable to keep everything to myself, I gathered Aaron, Emma, and Robert up in the arena and told them about the recent developments just before dinner. I didn't want Annabeth and Piper to be the only ones aware of everything.

Aaron scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "Count me in!"

"What?" I asked, staring at him.

"Yeah," he said. "I want to help you find your little bro. He was kind of cool, even if he called me annoying that one time."

"Same here," Emma volunteered. "I'll definitely come."

"I'm coming too," Robert said.

"Wait, wait," I said, holding up my hands. "I wasn't asking for volunteers—"

"Oh please, Nat," Emma said. "Like you're going to be able to manage this by yourself. Let us help you out."

"But this isn't just a frolic in the woods," I said. "We're going to be dealing with the _goddess of the Earth_—"

"Look, she's already saying 'we're,'" Aaron noted. "Besides, how are you supposed to catch a deer that can outrun arrows _by yourself_? Hercules tried that, and it took him an entire year. Something tells me that the earth lady isn't so patient."

My stomach churned uncomfortably. "Guys, I literally just met you a week ago. I would feel terrible if something happened..."

"We know he risks, Nat," Robert said. "Honestly, living on the street isn't much easier than a quest."

They looked at me, and I had a second to appreciate exactly how much these people had done for me in just a short space of time. Besides, now that I'd told them where I was going, it was pretty much going to be impossible to stop them if they wanted to come. I sighed. "Alright."

"Whoo!" Aaron said, pumping his fist in the air. "Adventure!"

He then proceeded to run around the arena, stabbing targets, rolling at unnecessary moments, and shouting, 'Adventure!' an obscene amount of times. Robert sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose like he couldn't believe that he even associated with Aaron.

"How do you _date_ that?" he asked Emma.

She smiled fondly. "He has his own type of charm."

* * *

Not surprisingly, packing took me very little time. Everything I had was pretty much necessary, so it was just a matter of shoving things into the old backpack I'd been using since I ran away with Kenny. I even decided to bring the teddy bear—mostly because I told myself I would be able to give it to him when we found him. Because we were _going_ to find him.

Even the picture of my father came along, but instead of putting it in the backpack I tucked it in the waistband of my jeans, just in case we were to lose our supplies somehow I wouldn't lose it.

We'd all eaten a good dinner, and I'd tried not to show how nervous I was about leaving the camp. Unfortunately, Annabeth had noticed, and had intercepted me after dinner. I was afraid she was going to try and stop me, tell me that I should wait and plan it out a little more like a typical daughter of Athena would, but what I got was the opposite.

"You're going to leave, aren't you?" she asked. "To go find him?"

I sighed. "Yeah."

"When?"

"Tonight."

She nodded. "That's what I thought."

I blushed. "Is it that obvious?"

"To me, maybe," she said, pushing her hair out he face. "I know what it feels like when you're missing someone. You've got that kind of 'I've got a plan' air about you, anyways."

I shrugged. "It's a plan, but not a very solid one."

"Well, maybe I can help you out a little, huh?" she said. "Follow me."

Curious, I followed her into the forest, a little ways out behind the horse stables. As we walked, she said, "I figure you're probably going to need some transportation, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "We figured since we had money, we could just sort of—"

"Wing it?" she asked. "Yeah, that always ends up badly. Take it from me, I've been on three quests. One of which I spent riding in a zoo truck from Denver to Vegas."

"Sounds lovely," I said sarcastically.

"Yeah, right," she said. "But here, maybe you won't have to end up like me."

We stepped into a small clearing a little ways away from the camp, like it'd been hollowed out just for workspace. In the middle was a beautiful snow white pegasus that was hitched to a simple wooden chariot. It pawed the ground, looking at Annabeth and me with disinterest as if we'd just woken it from a nap.

"Wow," I murmured. "A chariot?"

"Yeah," she said. "Pretty sweet, huh?" She walked over and patted the pegasus on the nose. "The head counselor for Apollo, Will Solace, got tired of me using their chariot whenever I had to leave camp. So I had a couple of my siblings help me put this together for anyone who needs some transportation. since the Apollo kids are using the good chariot for bigger things."

"And you're loaning it to me...?" I asked.

"Pretty much," she said. "Your mother was Zeus' charioteer, so I figured you could handle it. Have you ever ridden a horse before?"

"Well, yeah," I said. "My dad used to take me riding when I was younger, but... that's a _pegasus_."

"Riding a pegasus is just like riding a horse, except in the air," she said. "You'll be fine. Your instincts will probably take over anyways."

I stared at the pegasus, which was eyeing me suspiciously. Well, it wasn't like I had any other options. I smiled a little, and patted the pegasus. "Alright," I said. "I can handle it."

* * *

"Holy Hermes," Aaron muttered, staring at the pegasus. "Annabeth gave you a _chariot_?"

We stood in the small clearing in the woods, each of us shouldering a backpack with all of our necessities. Aaron's was the bulkiest—he'd 'bought' some provisions from the camp store. _Right. We all believe that._ But everyone else was staring at the chariot, and looking back and forth from it to me.

"You can drive this thing?" Robert asked.

I scratched the back of my head. "Well, she said it was like riding a horse in the air, so it can't be too hard—"

"So we're riding in an open-backed chariot with our driver having no experience at all?" Aaron clarified.

I blushed. "Well, kind of."

Aaron climbed onto the back. "You better learn fast, Nat, because I'm choosing to trust you."

I grinned. "I'll try not to kill you. Emma can probably save us, anyways."

"I wouldn't bet on it," she said, letting Aaron pull her up into the chariot.

I held out Robert's jacket to him. "You want this back?"

His cheeks flushed. "Um... you can keep it if you want."

"Suit yourself," I said, stuffing it into my backpack as he climbed on. I walked up to the pegasus and patted it awkwardly on the shoulder. "Erm, hi, Mr. Pegasus."

Aaron snorted. "Mr. Pegasus?"

I glared at him, but then hoisted myself up onto the beast. It felt strange and familiar at the same time, since I had to avoid the pegasus' wings, but I knew exactly where to sit and what to hold. I took a deep breath. "Everyone ready?"

"I guess," Robert said.

"Okay," I said. "Um... we're going to Chicago," I told the pegasus, feeling stupid for talking to a horse. "Understand?" The pegasus snorted. "Well... er, let's go."

I urged the pegasus forward, but it did nothing. I frowned and did it again. "Hey," I said, patting its side. "We need to go now." It remained still. I could hear Aaron trying to stifle a snicker. "Fly!" I said, waving my hand slightly. Nothing. "I'll give you a sugar cube!" The pegasus stomped it's foot in the dirt. Aaron was outright laughing now. "Go! Come on!" I even resorted to saying, "On Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen!" Aaron was practically doubled over in laughter by then.

I let out a frustrated growl. "I'm a child of Nike!" I told it. "Aren't you supposed to—whoa!"

Apparently, the 'child of Nike' thing had worked, because the pegasus took off swiftly into the night sky, nearly dropping Aaron out of the back. Cold air washed over my skin and blew through my hair, making me slightly regret not putting on Robert's jacket. I looked down, and saw Camp Half-Blood spiraling away, morphing into only a strawberry field and a farm house. For the first time in days, I felt truly happy for an instant.

"Yeah!" I yelled into the sky. "Let's get this show on the road!"

* * *

**And it begins! I thought that was an okay place to end, even if it's short. So this *should* be the end of the filler chapters, and their lovely little quest can begin.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading it. Reviews are appreciated.**


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